In February 2015, the services sector of the country registered a nominal growth of 0.8%, in the comparison with the same month a year ago. This result stood below the rates of January (1.8%, revised) and December (4.0%), and was the lowest one in the series started in 2012. The sector accumulated a nominal growth of 1.3% in the year and of 4.7% in 12 months.

In relation to February last year, three of the five segments of the sector registered positive changes: Services rendered to families (6.8%), Professional, administrative and complementary services (3.6%), Information and communication services (0.6%).
The drops occurred in Transportation, support services for transportation and mailing activities (-1.9%) and Other services (-0.2%). The complete publication can be accessed on page www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/servicos/pms.

In relation to February 2014, three out of the five segments of Services had positive changes: Services rendered to families (6.8%), Professional, administrative and complementary services (3.6%) and Information and communication services (0.6%). The drops occurred in Transportation, support services for transportation and mailing activities (-1.9%) and Other services (-0.2%). The highest contributions to the overall rate came from Professional, administrative and complementary services (0.8 p.p.) and Information and communication services (0.4 p.p.) and Communication and information services (0.2 p.p.).

Table 2
Absolute composition of the Monthly Rate of Services, According to Groups of Activities
BRAZIL - February 2015

RESULTS BY SECTOR

Services rendered to families - The segment of Services rendered to families recorded in Brazil a change of 6.8% in February over the same month a year ago, lower than January's (8.9%) and December's rates (8.8%). Lodging and food services registered a nominal change of 6.4% and Other services rendered to families[1], 9.4%.

Information and communication services - Nominal change of 0.6% in February, in the comparison with the same month a year ago, against -1.9% registered in January and -2.0% in December. Information and communication technology services - ICT, which comprise telecommunication and information technology services, grew 1.6% and Audiovisual, publishing and news agency services decreased (-5.3%).

Professional, administrative and complementary services - High of 3.6% in February, in the comparison with the same month a year ago, bellow the changes in January (5.4%) and December (11.0%). Technical-professional services, which encompass knowledge-intensive services, recorded decrease (-6.5%) and Administrative and complementary services, which encompass labor-intensive services, grew 7.2%.

Transportation, support activities for transportation and mailing activities - The segment registered a negative nominal change (-1.9%) in February over the same month last year. In January and December, the segment recorded positive changes of 2.1% and 4.9%, respectively. In terms of mode, the figures were: Land transportation (-2.5%), Water transportation (12.0%) and Air transportation (-4.5%). The segment of Storage services, support activities for transportation and mailing activities registered decrease (-1.9%).

Other services - Negative nominal change (-0.2%),but in January there were not significant changes (0.0%) and in December there was increase of 3.4%.

RESULTS BY REGION

Regionally, in relation to February 2014, there were drops in 16 of the 27 Federation Units: Mato Grosso (-17.1%), Roraima (-8.6%), Piauí (-6.8%), Maranhão (-6.4%), Acre (-5.1%), Goiás (-4.3%), Paraná (-3.1%), Amapá (-2.6%), Rondônia (-2.5%), Espírito Santo (-2.0%), Rio Grande do Sul (-1.9%), Federal District (-1.6%), Mato Grosso do Sul (-1.2%), Rio de Janeiro (-1.0%), Amazonas (-0.3%) and Minas Gerais (-0.1%).

As shown in graph 7 below, the greatest nominal changes were registered in Tocantins (7.9%), Bahia (4.5%) and São Paulo (3.3%) and the lowest one, in Sergipe (0.3%), Pernambuco (1.0%) and Alagoas (1.1%). Rio Grande do Norte did not record significant changes (0.0%). 

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¹This includes the following services: show business, creative and artistic activities; leisure, recreational and sporting activities (except clubs); laundry services, dry cleaners and towel cleaners; hairdresser and other beauty activities; funeral activities and related services; other personal services (aesthetic clinics, housing services, hygiene and training of pets, shoe shining and porter services, etc.); support activities for education and continuing education services (language, sports, art and culture and preparatory courses, etc).