New Zealand’s service sector showed signs of recovery in September, with BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index rising to 50.7, up from 47.7 in August. This improvement marks an end to the three consecutive months of contraction, though the index is still languishing below the long-term average of 53.5.
Among the key components, activity/sales witnessed a notable rise, moving up to 50.9 from 44.9. Meanwhile, employment indicators slightly dipped from 51.0 to 50.6. New orders/business experienced a healthy increase, reaching 53.9 from 48.5. However, stocks/inventories decreased to 47.9 from 51.4, while supplier deliveries inched up to 49.6 from 49.2.
Addressing the sentiment, BusinessNZ’s Chief Executive, Kirk Hope, pointed out that negative sentiments remained prevalent, with 61.8% in September, only slightly lower than 63.9% in August. A significant portion of these concerns was attributed to uncertainties surrounding the General Election and rising cost of living.
