Singapore services sector's sales revenue up 1.1% in Q3; education sector tops growth in receipts

SALES revenue rose 1.1 per cent in the services sector in the third quarter against the second, and was up 3.3 per cent from a year ago, according to the latest Business Receipts Index for the services industry in Singapore, excluding wholesale & retail trade and accommodation & food services.

Education reported the highest increase in receipts, up 14.2 per cent quarter on quarter, followed by business services excluding real estate, rental and leasing, which grew 3.3 per cent.

Third was health & social services which went up by 2.2 per cent quarter on quarter.

Recreational & personal services recorded the steepest fall of 12.2 per cent quarter on quarter, followed by real estate, rental & leasing, which dropped 0.6 per cent.

On a year-on-year basis, recreational & personal services registered a drop in turnover of 15.5 per cent in Q3 2014, compared with the same period last year.

The health & social services industry recorded the highest turnover growth of 9.7 per cent year-on-year, due primarily to hospitals and western clinics registering higher receipts compared to a year ago.