According to the Anhui Statistics WeChat Official Account on September 1, since the beginning of this year the province has been focusing on promoting high-quality development, and achieved stable operation and steadily improving quality in the service-sector economy.

Overall operation is stable and improving

From January to July, service enterprises above designated size in the province achieved operating revenue of 464.33 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4%, 0.1 percentage point faster than in the first half of the year. Among the ten major service categories tracked, seven recorded growth; leasing and business services, residential services and repair and other services, and culture, sports and entertainment grew by 16%, 14.5% and 11.1% respectively.

Business services made an outstanding contribution

From January to July, operating revenue of the province's business service enterprises above designated size rose 16.8% year on year, contributing 84.4% to the growth of the entire service sector above designated size — the highest contribution rate among 32 major industry categories. Within this, supply chain management services, consulting and surveying, conference and exhibition and related services, and human resources services grew by 46.1%, 34.6%, 24% and 21.8%, respectively.

Software services consolidate favorable momentum

From January to July, operating revenue of software and information technology service enterprises above designated size in the province increased 17.5% year on year, 0.3 percentage point faster than in the first half of the year, contributing 39% to the growth of all services above designated size. Among these, information processing and storage support services, integrated circuit design, and information technology consulting services increased by 2.6 times, 70.9% and 29.8%, respectively.

Service consumption vitality released

The province accelerated implementation of special measures to boost consumption. From January to July, among residential services, auto repair and maintenance, marriage services, and cleaning services grew by 37%, 32.2% and 20.6%, respectively. Supply of high-quality cultural, tourism and entertainment products expanded: film and TV production, cultural and sports entertainment activities and brokerage/agency services, and artistic creation and performance grew by 87.6%, 38.7% and 21.3%, respectively.

Enterprise employment remained stable

By the end of July, the number of employees in the province's service enterprises above designated size reached 1.808 million, up 3.1% year on year. Employment in research and experimental development and business services increased by 19% and 14.5%, respectively. The role of private enterprises in stabilizing employment in the service sector became more apparent: employment by private service enterprises accounted for 82.6% of service employment above designated size, up 4.2%.

Source: Anhui Statistics