MADRID, 18 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The services sector recorded an increase in its turnover of 5.4% in February compared to the same month of the previous year, a rate 2.5 points higher than the previous month and its largest increase since March 2023, according to data released this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

With the rebound in February, the sector's sales chain two months of positive interannual rates after the 2.9% increase they experienced in the month of January.

Employment created by the services sector rose 2% in February compared to the same month in 2023, a rate one tenth lower than that of the previous month. However, employment in the sector has been growing uninterruptedly since April 2021.

Corrected for seasonal and calendar effects, service billing rose 4.7% in February in an interannual rate, 3.5 points above the growth recorded the previous month.

In monthly rate (February over January), sales in the sector, eliminating the seasonal and calendar effect, increased by 2.1%, their largest monthly increase since April 2022, when they rose by 7.7%. With the increase in February, sales have now accumulated six consecutive months of increases.