Index of Services, UK: May 2022

• Monthly services output rose by 0.4% between April and May 2022, reaching a level that was 1.9% above February 2020, which was the last month of "normal" trading conditions prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• There were rises in 7 of the 14 sectors in the Index of Services during May 2022.
• The largest positive contribution to growth was from human health and social work activities, which grew by 2.1%; however, this was offset by wholesale and retail trade and financial and insurance activities, which both fell by 0.8%.
• Of the 14 services sectors, seven have surpassed their February 2020 pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, with the largest increase being transportation and storage, rising by 10.8%.
• Services output for the three months to May 2022 grew by 0.1%, compared with the three months to February 2022; over this period, accommodation and food services was the largest growth, rising by 8.6%, with activities of households as employers the largest negative growth, falling by 8.4%.
• For further and detailed analysis of the effect on our monthly Index of Services estimate, please see our GDP monthly estimate, UK: May 2022 article published on 13 July 2022.

Data sources and collection

The Index of Services (IoS) is compiled using data from several different sources:

• Office for National Statistics (ONS) Monthly Business Survey (44.4%)
• ONS Retail Sales Inquiry (6.4%)
• ONS Government Expenditure (20.1%)
• ONS Households' Expenditure (15.3%)
• ONS Finance Expenditure (7.8%)
• Other (5.9%)

The Monthly Business Survey (MBS) data are published alongside this release in our MBS turnover of services industries dataset.

Data relating to the retail industry are broadly comparable with our Retail sales, Great Britain: May 2022 bulletin, published on 24 June 2022.

For further information on what is included within Other, please see the GDP(o) data sources catalogue.

The percentage of each data source is based on their gross value added weight. The GDP(o) methods and sources pages provide more information on the data that underpin these statistics; of particular note is the GDP(o) data sources catalogue.

From February 2018, Value Added Tax (VAT) data have also been included across 64 production industries for small- and medium-sized businesses. For more information, see VAT turnover data in National Accounts: background and methodology.

Quality and methodology

More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in the Index of Services QMI.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The ONS' MBS is fully online, meaning that business owners can log on from any location and submit their data at an appropriate time. Most other data in the IoS come from within the ONS and therefore will be less affected than survey data.

Our latest data and analysis on the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the UK economy and population are available on their own web page. This is the hub for all special coronavirus-related publications, including the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS).

The ONS has released a public statement on COVID-19 and the production of statistics. If you have specific queries, you can contact the media relations office by email at media.relations@ons.gov.uk.

Economic statistics governance after EU exit

Following the UK's exit from the EU, new governance arrangements are being put in place that will support the adoption and implementation of high-quality standards for UK economic statistics. These governance arrangements will promote international comparability and add to the credibility and independence of the UK's statistical system.

At the centre of this new governance framework will be the new National Statistician's Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE). NSCASE will support the UK by ensuring its processes for influencing and adopting international statistical standards are world leading. The advice NSCASE provides to the National Statistician will span the full range of domains in economic statistics. This includes the National Accounts, fiscal statistics, prices, trade, and the balance of payments and labour market statistics.