Service industries: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

The service industries include the retail sector, the financial sector, the public sector, business administration, leisure and cultural activities.

The service industries accounted for 81% of total UK economic output (gross value added) and 83% of employment in October to December 2025.

Services output

There was a fall of 0.2% in the Index of Services between March and April 2026.

Services output increased by 0.8% in February–April 2026 compared with November 2025–January 2026.

In February–April 2026, compared with February–April 2025, services output increased by 1.6%.

Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

In the S&P Global PMI, a value of 50 means that there is no change in activity compared with the previous month. Values above 50 indicate an expansion, and values below 50 a contraction.

The UK services PMI (PDF) was 49.3 in May 2026, down from 52.7 in April. Business activity decreased for the first time since April 2025, with survey respondents citing hesitancy and delays in spending from their clients in relation to the Middle East conflict, as well as political uncertainty in the UK. New work was down, as was employment, while input price inflation increased, largely because of higher energy and transport costs.

Next updates

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• ONS, Index of Services, 16 July 2026

• S&P Global, UK Services PMI, 23 June 2026