Statistics Netherlands | CBS
Source published: 10 September 25
Revenue of Business Services 3.7 Percent Higher in the Second Quarter
This article discusses the recent revenue increase in business services and the key trends.
The travel sector recorded the largest revenue increase within business services in the second quarter: 14.1 percent. Revenue in legal services also increased in the second quarter (7.4 percent).
For IT service providers, revenue was 4.4 percent higher than a year earlier. This is the lowest revenue growth since the first quarter of 2021, when revenue grew by 3.6 percent.
In the advertising sector, revenue fell by 2.6 percent in the first quarter but rebounded in the second quarter with a revenue growth of 1.4 percent.
The temporary employment sector is the only sector within business services where revenue decreased compared to the same period a year earlier; revenue fell by 0.3 percent in the second quarter. The decline is smaller than in the first quarter when revenue shrank by 1.5 percent.
Within business services, service prices were higher in almost all sectors compared to a year earlier. Prices for services in IT services were 3.2 percent higher than a year earlier. Prices in the advertising sector fell by 0.3 percent, the first decline since the measurement began.
Legal services, such as law and notary services, were 4.9 percent more expensive in the second quarter of 2025 than a year earlier.
The prices of notary services, part of legal services, were 7.0 percent higher in the second quarter of 2025 than a year earlier. Services related to real estate practice (such as drafting mortgage deeds) increased in price by 8.4 percent. This is the largest increase since the measurement began.
The entrepreneurial confidence of business service providers was 0.6 at the beginning of the third quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, it was -4.1. Entrepreneurial confidence is positive after being negative for five consecutive months. Prior to that, entrepreneurial confidence had been negative for over 2.5 years, with a few positive exceptions.