Irish services sector expanded 8% in June

The value of Irish services output increased 8 per cent in June compared with May as lockdown restrictions continued to ease, seasonally adjusted figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

On an annual basis, the value of services output was 15.9 per cent higher in June 2021 compared with June 2020.

Notably, it was also 3.3 per cent higher than in June 2019, before the Covid-19 crisis began. This is because output in the information and communication sector has risen 29.7 per cent over a two-year period, while wholesale and retail trade activity is 5.9 per cent above where it was two years ago.

Outdoor dining

The value of all other service sectors remain lower than they were in June 2019, the CSO said.

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As hotels and other accommodation providers were permitted by the Government to reopen and outdoor dining also got under way early in June 2021, the sector that saw the highest monthly increase was accommodation and food service, which grew 89.2 per cent compared to May.

Transportation and storage

The only service sectors to show a decline in the month were transportation and storage, which dropped 2.2 per cent, and professional, scientific and technical activities, which retreated 1.7 per cent. The latter sector was the only one to decline on an annual basis.

Accommodation and food services activities also accounted for the largest annual increase, expanding 57.1 per cent compared to June 2020. But the value of output in this sector is still 52.6 per cent lower than it was two years ago.