Irish Services Sector Growth Eases to 6-Month Low

2026-03-04 02:18 By Erika Ordonez 1 min. read

The AIB Ireland Services PMI fell to 51.8 in February 2026 from 54.5 in January, marking the softest expansion since August.

Financial services (55.4) led the sector growth, followed by business services (51.2) and transport, tourism & leisure (50.2), while technology, media, and telecoms (49.9) contracted slightly.

New business growth moderated to a six-month low, with new export orders rising modestly and transport, tourism, and leisure edging lower.

Despite softer demand, outstanding work increased for the fourth time in five months, while employment continued to rise, extending nearly five years of sustained job creation.

On prices, input costs remained elevated, close to a three-year high, driven by higher wages, pensions, energy, fuel and transport costs.

However, output price inflation eased notably from January’s peak, suggesting some margin pressure.

Looking ahead, business sentiment improved, driven by new projects and clients, though still below its long-run average.



News Stream
Irish Services Sector Growth Eases to 6-Month Low
The AIB Ireland Services PMI fell to 51.8 in February 2026 from 54.5 in January, marking the softest expansion since August. Financial services (55.4) led the sector growth, followed by business services (51.2) and transport, tourism & leisure (50.2), while technology, media, and telecoms (49.9) contracted slightly. New business growth moderated to a six-month low, with new export orders rising modestly and transport, tourism, and leisure edging lower. Despite softer demand, outstanding work increased for the fourth time in five months, while employment continued to rise, extending nearly five years of sustained job creation. On prices, input costs remained elevated, close to a three-year high, driven by higher wages, pensions, energy, fuel and transport costs. However, output price inflation eased notably from January’s peak, suggesting some margin pressure. Looking ahead, business sentiment improved, driven by new projects and clients, though still below its long-run average.
2026-03-04
Irish Services Sector Growth Slows to 4-Month Low
The AIB Ireland Services PMI declined slightly to 54.5 in January 2026, down from December’s 54.8, marking the softest expansion since September. The moderation in services sector growth came as new business growth slowed to a five-month low. However, new business remained broad-based across sectors, led by business services (56.8), followed by technology, media & telecoms (51.4) and transport, tourism & leisure (50.4). In response to rising new business, firms continued to increase employment at a solid pace, stronger than the long-run survey average. On prices, input cost inflation accelerated to a three-month high and remained above the long-run trend, with transport, tourism & leisure registering the fastest increase. Meanwhile, output price inflation rose to its highest level since May 2024 and was higher than the long-run survey average. Looking ahead, business sentiment remained optimistic, but moderated from December.
2026-02-05
Irish Services PMI Falls to 3-Month Low
The AIB Ireland Services PMI dropped to 54.8 in December 2025, down from 58.5 in November, which had marked the fastest expansion in the sector since May 2022, making it the softest expansion since September. The moderation in services sector growth came as new business growth slowed to a three-month low. However, new business remained broad-based across sectors, led by financial services. Meanwhile, transport, tourism, and leisure registered a renewed decline in activity, the ninth in 2025. In response to the rise in new business, firms continued to raise employment. However, the pace of job creation remained modest in the latest period. On the price front, input cost inflation eased to a five-month low, while output price inflation accelerated to a four-month high but remained above the long-run survey average. Looking ahead, business sentiment remained optimistic, supported by investment, new product launches, recruitment, and recovering EU and UK markets.
2026-01-06