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 an increase of 0.4% in the Index of Services between May and June 2026.

Services output increased by 0.5% in April–June 2026 compared with January–March 2026.

In April–June 2026, compared with April–June 2025, services output increased by 1.5%.

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 52.8 in August 2026, up from 52.1 in July, with business activity growth in the services sector increasing at the fastest rate since February. Anecdotal evidence from survey respondents cited increased client confidence and improving domestic economic conditions as reasons for this growth, with higher domestic business and consumer spending offsetting decreased export sales. Geopolitical uncertainties and elevated costs were cited as constraining growth. Employment continued to decrease, albeit at its slowest rate since October 2025.

Next updates

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

• ONS, Index of Services, 11 September 2026

• S&P Global, UK Services PMI, 3 September 2026