The turnover of business services was 4.5 percent higher in the fourth quarter of 2025 than in the same quarter a year earlier. For the whole of 2025, turnover in business services increased by 3.6 percent. Prices in business services are higher across the board than a year earlier. This is reported by CBS based on new quarterly figures.
Turnover is higher in all sectors within business services than a year earlier. Legal services, including law firms, notaries and bailiff offices, recorded the largest turnover increase within business services in the fourth quarter: 9.1 percent. On an annual basis, turnover in this sector also rose the most (8.5 percent). The sector benefited from growing demand and higher prices.
Turnover of engineering firms rises by 8.2 percent. For the whole of 2025, this was 7.5 percent.Turnover of IT service providers increases by 2.1 percent compared to a year earlier. This is the lowest turnover growth since the fourth quarter of 2020, when turnover grew by 1.9 percent. For the whole of 2025, turnover grew by 4.4 percent.
Turnover in the travel industry increases by nearly 6.7 percent. For the whole of 2025, turnover was 8.3 percent higher than in 2024. Since the corona crisis in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, this sector has grown every quarter.
In the temporary employment sector, turnover was 0.4 percent higher in the fourth quarter than a year earlier. This is the lowest turnover growth within business services. For the whole of 2025, turnover fell by 0.1 percent. The temporary employment sector and advertising are the only sectors where turnover declined over the whole of 2025, by -0.2 percent.
Within business services, service prices are higher in almost all sectors than a year earlier. Prices of services in IT services rise by 2.9. Prices of cleaning companies rise the most by 6.7 percent. For the whole of 2025, prices of cleaning companies rose by 7.5 percent.
Services of accountants, bookkeepers and tax consultants were 5.4 percent more expensive than a year earlier. At management consultancy firms, the price increase was the smallest at 1.1 percent.
Prices of translators were 2.6 percent lower in the fourth quarter of 2025 than a year earlier. This is the largest decrease since the start of the measurement in the fourth quarter of 2022. For the whole of 2025, prices of translators fell by 2.2 percent.
The business confidence of business service providers is 0.3 at the beginning of the first quarter of 2026. A quarter earlier, this was still -1.2. Business confidence has now been positive for three months in a row, whereas it was generally negative for the past 3.5 years.
Openrijk brings government news unfiltered to you. But that does cost us the necessary caffeine.