Market Services - 4. quarter of 2008

In Q4 seasonally adjusted sales in market services decreased by 2.1%, q-o-q, at constant prices. In the year-on-year comparison, not seasonally adjusted, they dropped by 5.8%. Only computer and related activities recorded a growth (+1.2%), y-o-y. In 2008, sales in market services increased by 1.0%, at constant prices (in 2007 by 6.5%).
In Q4 seasonally adjusted sales in market services ¹⁾ decreased by 2.1%, quarter-on-quarter, at constant prices . The trend component dropped by 0.6 %.

Graph 1
Year-on-year, sales dropped in Q4 2008 by 5.8%. Working days adjusted (two working days less than in Q4 2007) sales decreased by 5.8% at constant prices and seasonally adjusted (incl. working day adjustment) by 3.1%. Sales in other business activities fell by 7.7% (contribution to the total drop: 6 p.p.), a 8.4% decrease was reported for other service activities. Sales increased only in computer and related activities (+1.2%).

Year-on-year development of not seasonally adjusted sales in market services broken down by CZ-NACE divisions:

- sales in computer and related activities increased by 1.2%, y-o-y, despite continuing sales drop in maintenance and repair of office and computing machinery (-10.8%). In contrast, hardware and software consultancy as the most important section in terms of volume increased by 2.0% and sales in data processing and database activities raised by 8.5%.

- in other business activities a 7.7% sales drop, year-on-year, was contributed to by all divisions except of industrial cleaning where sales grew by 0.8%. The drop in labour recruitment and provision of personnel speeded up by 28.1%, a two-digit decrease by 11.9% was recorded also in other business activities. The total drop was contributed to also by architectural and engineering activities by 7.9% and by legal, accounting activities and tax consultancy by 7.7%. A downward trend was also reported in advertising (-4.9%) and a moderate drop was recorded in investigation and security activities (-3.0%).

- sales in other service activities recorded a 8.4% drop, y-o-y, which came mainly from sales decrease in hairdressing and other beauty treatment and funeral activities (-9.9%). Sales in washing and dry-cleaning of textile and fur products decreased by 5.5%, y-o-y.In 2008, sales increased in market services by 1.0% at constant prices (in 2007 by 6.5%). A drop in Q4 (-5.8%) was compensated by growth in previous quarters. The biggest increase was reported for data processing and database activities (+14.1%) while the biggest drop was recorded in maintenance and repair of office and computing machinery (-5.7%).

Sales in individual divisions:

- sales in computer and related activities increased, y-o-y, by 4.1% despite a drop in maintenance and repair of office and computing machinery continuing from Q2 to the year end. A growth in data processing and database activities followed the trend of the year 2007 (the biggest growth in Q1 by 17.5%);

- sales in other business activities increased by 0.3%, a constant growth was reported for industrial cleaning and investigation and security activities. Owing to the development in Q4, yearly sales in advertising, architectural and engineering activities and legal, accounting activities and tax consultancy only moderately exceeded the level reached in 2007. A drop was reported for other business activities (-2.4%). An uneven sales development in labour recruitment and provision of personnel recorded over the year (in Q1 and Q2 +20.4% and +12.4%, in Q3 and Q4 -1.8% and -28.1%) resulted in a yearly drop by 1.5%;

- sales in other service activities dropped by 1.8%. Like in Q4 the biggest decrease was reported for hairdressing and other beauty treatment and funeral activities (-2.6%), smaller drop was recorded in washing and dry-cleaning of textile and fur products (-0.4%).

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Methodological note :
1) For the purpose of New Releases, market services include the following CZ-NACE categories – computer and related activities and other business activities and other service activities..
2) The whole time series is seasonally adjusted every quarter; indices in the graph are changes retroactively.

Contact: Boušková Marie, tel. 274052935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises
End of data collection: 5 February 2009
End of data processing: 10 February 2009
Quarterly data since 1997 are available in time series
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Data for 2008 are preliminary; final data for 2008 will be known in June 2009 at the latest.