Irish Services PMI Falls to 7-Month Low

2026-04-07 00:08 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

The AIB Ireland Services PMI declined to 50.7 in March 2026 from February’s 51.8, marking the softest expansion since last August, as new business growth moderated.

New business fell in two sectors, financial services and transport, tourism & leisure, and rose only modestly in business services.

Meanwhile, new export business across the service sector as a whole was broadly flat in March.

Employment fell for only the third time in the past five years, albeit at a marginal rate.

Jobs declined slightly in three sectors, with financial services posting a modest increase.

On prices, input cost inflation accelerated to a three-year high, driven mainly by higher fuel, energy, wages, pension contributions, and raw material costs.

Supply chain disruption due to the Middle East war also pressured prices.

As a result, firms raised their selling prices.

Finally, sentiment weakened to its lowest level since October 2020 due to the impact of the war in the Middle East on the global economy.



News Stream
Irish Services PMI Falls to 7-Month Low
The AIB Ireland Services PMI declined to 50.7 in March 2026 from February’s 51.8, marking the softest expansion since last August, as new business growth moderated. New business fell in two sectors, financial services and transport, tourism & leisure, and rose only modestly in business services. Meanwhile, new export business across the service sector as a whole was broadly flat in March. Employment fell for only the third time in the past five years, albeit at a marginal rate. Jobs declined slightly in three sectors, with financial services posting a modest increase. On prices, input cost inflation accelerated to a three-year high, driven mainly by higher fuel, energy, wages, pension contributions, and raw material costs. Supply chain disruption due to the Middle East war also pressured prices. As a result, firms raised their selling prices. Finally, sentiment weakened to its lowest level since October 2020 due to the impact of the war in the Middle East on the global economy.
2026-04-07
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