A survey shows that activity in the service sector rebounded in January, helped by an improvement in weather conditions and growth in new export orders.
The NCB Services Purchasing Managers' Index recorded 53.9, up from 47.4 in December. Any figure above 50 means growth, and the January figure was the strongest since last July.
Overall, new orders fell last month, but new export orders rose strongly, with particularly strong growth from the UK. Confidence among services firms rose strongly to its highest level since September.
The employment index was 49.5, compared with 47.8 in December, indicating only a marginal fall in jobs.
Higher fuel costs contributed to an acceleration of growth in input costs, but companies were unable to pass on the higher costs to customers due to intense competition. The prices charged index fell from 43.2 to 42.7.
