In the Q4 2018, sales adjusted for calendar effects increased at constant prices by 0.7%, year‑on-year (y-o-y); non-adjusted sales grew by 1.1%. Seasonally adjusted sales in services decreased at constant prices by 1.1%, quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q).
For the entire year 2018, sales in services at constant prices increased by 2.7%, y-o-y.  
 

Development in the fourth quarter of 2018

In the Q4 2018, seasonally adjusted sales in services¹⁾ decreased at constant prices by 1.1%, q-o-q. A q-o-q decrease was recorded by all sections.

Year-on-year, sales adjusted for calendar effects increased by 0.7%. The highest growth was in the section of information and communication.

Year-on-year, non-adjusted sales increased by 1.1%. Development in individual industries of services (CZ-NACE sections) was as follows:

• sales in transportation and storage increased by 2.7%. A double-digit sales growth was in water transport (+27.5%), which is the smallest as for the volume of sales, and in air transport (+13.4%). The following also recorded increases of sales: warehousing and support activities for transportation (+3.2%) and land transport and transport via pipelines (+2.7%). On the other hand, sales dropped in postal and courier activities (−5.8%);
• sales in accommodation and food service activities decreased by 0.3%. In the accommodation sales dropped by 1.5%, while in the food and beverage service activities the sales increased by 0.1%;
• sales in information and communication increased by 4.6%. The highest sales growth was reported by information service activities, which include, for example, data processing, web portals, and hosting (+11.2%). Higher sales were also in the following: in the so-called music and motion picture activities (+10.5%), publishing activities (+9.4%), computer programming, consultancy and related activities (+5.1%), and programming and broadcasting activities (+2.4%). On the other hand, sales in telecommunications decreased (−0.2%);
• sales in real estate activities decreased by 3.2%, y-o-y. A sales decrease was reported by both real estate activities on a fee or contract basis (−5.8%) as well as by buying and selling of own real estate and renting and operating of own or leased real estate (−2.4%), which are more important in terms of their volume;
• sales in professional, scientific and technical activities²⁾ decreased by 1.0%. In this section, sales increased only in legal and accounting activities (+5.4%). The deepest decrease was in other professional, scientific and technical activities (−5.2%), which include, for example, business brokerage activities, translation services and photographic services, or activities of quantity surveyors. Further, y-o-y sales decreases were reported by advertising and market research (−4.5%), activities of head offices; management consultancy activities (−0.5%), and architectural and engineering activities (−0.1%);
• sales in administrative and support service activities³⁾ decreased by 0.5%. The following were growing: rental and leasing activities (+3.8%), employment activities (+0.7%), and   office administrative and support activities (+0.5%). On the other hand, the following decreased: services to buildings and landscape activities (−5.9%), security and investigation activities (−2.2%), and travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities (−1.5%).
   

Development in 2018

In 2018, sales in services¹⁾ adjusted for calendar effects increased at constant prices by 2.8%, year-on-year; non-adjusted sales increased by 2.7% (there was the same number of working days in 2018 and 2017).

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

• sales in transportation and storage increased by 4.6%, mainly as a result of the development in warehousing and support activities for transportation (growth by 6.3%) and in land transport and transport via pipelines (growth by 3.7%). Sales in air transport increased already for the third successive quarter (this time by 7.4%). However, the most marked increase was reported by water transport (+16.9%), which owing to operation of water transport out of the territory of the Czech Republic reported a double-digit growth during the last three quarters of 2018. After two years of growth, sales decreased in postal and courier activities (drop by 2.0%);
• sales in the whole section of accommodation and food service activities increased by 0.8%, y-o-y. Sales in food and beverage service activities were growing (+1.4%), while sales in the accommodation decreased (−0.8%);
• sales in information and communication increased by 5.3%, which was contributed to by all divisions. The highest y-o-y sales growth was in information service activities (+9.1%), which were growing for the fifth successive quarter already. Sales increased also in publishing activities (+7.1%), computer programming, consultancy and related activities (+6.7%), programming and broadcasting activities (+6.0%), telecommunications (+2.3%), and the so-called music and motion picture activities (+0.3%);
• sales in real estate activities decreased by 1.6%, y-o-y. The following groups contributed to the decrease: real estate activities on a fee or contract basis (drop by 1.8%) as well as buying and selling of own real estate and renting and operating of own or leased real estate (drop by 1.5%);
• sales in professional, scientific and technical activities²⁾ increased by 0.7%. The sales growth in this section was contributed to by legal and accounting activities (+4.1%), other professional, scientific and technical activities (+2.7%), activities of head offices; management consultancy activities (+0.9%), and architectural and engineering activities (+0.2%). Only in advertising and market research activities sales decreased (−3.4%);
• sales in administrative and support service activities³⁾ grew by 2.3%, y-o-y. The most marked sales increase was in rental and leasing activities (+5.6%). Higher sales were also in the following: employment activities (+3.6%), office administrative and support activities (+2.6%), and in the division of travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities (+2.6%). On the other hand, sales in the following decreased: security and investigation activities (−2.2%) and services to buildings and landscape activities (−1.4%). 
   

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Notes:

¹⁾ For the purpose of the News Release, services include the following CZ-NACE sections: Transportation and storage (H), Accommodation and food service activities (I), Information and communication (J), Real estate activities (L), Professional, scientific and technical activities – excluding Scientific research and development and Veterinary activities (M excluding 72 and 75), Administrative and support service activities – excluding Landscape service activities (N excluding 81.3).

²⁾ For the purpose of the News Release, section M – Professional, scientific and technical activities does not include CZ-NACE 72 – Scientific research and development and CZ-NACE 75 – Veterinary activities.

3) For the purpose of the News Release, section N – Administrative and support service activities does not include CZ‑NACE 81.3 – Landscape service activities.

All data in the text of the News Release are at constant prices.

Data for the Q4 2018 are preliminary; final data for individual quarters of 2018 will be available in June 2019.

Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, Director of the Services Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 274 052 935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@czso.cz
Contact person: Jana Gotvaldová, Head of the Trade, Transport, and Information Service Activities Statistics Unit, phone number: (+420) 274 052 691, e-mail: jana.gotvaldova@czso.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO (SP 1-12)
End of data collection: 28 January 2019
End of data processing: 31 January 2019
Related outputs: Base indices since 2000 and y-o-y indices since 2001 are available in time series (excluding section J, which is available since 2005 or rather 2006).
(https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/slu_ts)  
Next News Release will be published on: 10 May 2019