Services - 4 quarter 2014

In Q4 2014, seasonally adjusted sales in services decreased, quarter-on-quarter, at constant prices, by 0.4%. Working days adjusted sales fell by 0.7%, year-on-year, non-adjusted by 1.1%. Drop of sales in transportation and storage and in professional, scientific and technical activities had the biggest influence on the overall development. Over the whole year 2014 sales in services rose at constant prices by 0.6%, year-on-year.

 In Q4 2014, seasonally adjusted sales in services1) decreased at constant prices by 0.4%, quarter-on-quarter. Year-on-year, working days adjusted sales fell by 0.7% (Q4 2014 was one working day shorter than Q4 2013), non-adjusted sales dropped by 1.1%. Growth was recorded solely in information and communication and administrative and support service activities.

 Year-on-year development of seasonally non-adjusted sales in services broken down by CZ-NACE division:

-          sales in transportation and storage decreased by 2.3%. The drop owed mainly to the development in warehousing and support activities for transportation where sales recorded a decrease (-6.6%) for the first time after 12 quarters of growth. Decrease was also reported for postal and courier activities (-0.3%). By contrast, water transport, air transport and land transport and transport via pipelines showed a growth (+7.4%, +3.0% and +0.3%, respectively);

 -          sales in accommodation and food service activities decreased by 0.6%. In accommodation the growth of sales (+3.7%) continued; in food and beverage service activities sales showed a continuous fall (-2.8%);

 -          sales in information and communication increased by 1.4%. A two-digit growth was recorded for programming and broadcasting activities. Growth of sales in publishing activities (+5.7%) continued as well as in information service activities (+2.8%) and in computer programming, consultancy and related activities (+2.2%) which include, for example, computer programming, computer facilities management activities or consultancy in the area of IT. Conversely, a drop was recorded in telecommunications (-0.5%) and in music and motion picture activities (-17.0%);

 -          sales in real estate activities dropped by 1.3%. Sales in buying and selling of own real estate and renting and operating of own or leased real estate decreased by 2.2%, by contrast, sales of real estate agencies increased by 1.2%;

 -          sales decreased in professional, scientific and technical activities2) (-2.1%). Growth was recorded in advertising and market research (+2.0%) and in other professional, scientific and technical activities (+1.5%). Sales dropped in activities of head offices; management consultancy activities (-8.6%), in architectural and engineering activities (-2.8%) and legal and accounting activities (-2.5%);

 -          sales in administrative and support service activities3) increased by 0.1%. Total growth was contributed to by sales in employment activities (+5.4%), in rental and leasing activities (+4.9%) and in services to buildings and landscape activities (+4.1%). A drop was recorded for travel agency, tour operator and other reservation service and related activities (-5.4%) and for office administrative, office support and other business support activities (-4.8%).

 Development in 2014

In 2014 sales in services¹⁾ increased by 0.6%, year-on-year, at constant prices, while this was the first growth recorded since 2008. The biggest contributor to the overall growth was the most significant division in terms of volume, i.e. transportation and storage which showed bigger sales already for the fifth year in a row.

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

-        the growth of sales in transportation and storage by 2.1% was contributed by all divisions except for postal and courier activities which were declining for the third year already (this time -4.3%). The growth in sales was affected mainly by the development in land transport and transport via pipelines (+2.9%) in terms of volume transported. Over the whole year 2014 warehousing and support activities for transportation showed a growth (+2.1%) even though that in the last quarter a drop of sales was recorded. Water transport and air transport also reported a growth (+3.1% and +0.8%, respectively);

 -        sales in the whole section of accommodation and food service activities increased moderately by 0.1%. A growth of sales was contributed by the trend in accommodation, in which sales were growing, except for March, and showed an overall growth by 3.4%. Conversely, sales in food and beverage service activities dropped (-1.5%) even though they saw a temporary increase in January, February and April;

-          sales in information and communication increased by 1.8%. An increase was recorded for publishing activities (+6.7%), for programming and broadcasting activities (+5.6%) and information service activities (+4.3%) which include news agencies, web portals and webhosting. A growth was reported also for the volume most important activities in the area of computer programming, consultancy and related activities (+1.9) and telecommunications (+0.3%). By contrast, a drop was reported only for music and motion picture activities (-4.2%) mainly due to the development in the latter half of 2014;

 -          sales in real estate activities dropped by 1.2%. The sales of more significant group in terms of volume - buying and selling of own real estate and in renting and operating of own or leased real estate dropped by 1.8% while sales of real estate agencies increased by 0.3%;

 -          sales in professional, scientific and technical activities²⁾ decreased by 2.8 %. An increase showed only advertising and market research activities (+1.7%), other divisions reported a decline. The biggest drop was reported for sales in architectural and engineering activities (-5.2%) and for other professional, scientific and technical activities (-4.7%) and then for activities of head offices; management consultancy activities (-2.6%) and legal and accounting activities (-2.1%);

 -          sales in administrative and support service activities³⁾ grew for the fourth year in a row to show an increase by 2.2% in 2014. Sales of all divisions increased except for travel agency and tour operator and other reservation service and related activities which reported a drop by 7.6%. The biggest growth was recorded in employment activities (+12.0%), rental and leasing activities (+6.2 %) and in office administrative, office support and other business support activities (+3.2%). Growing sales were also recorded in security and investigation activities (+1.7%) and in services to buildings and landscape activities (+1.6%).