Business services
Statistics Norway compiles annual production sta-tistics relating to main industrial group "Business services" and to industry group "Repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles".
The information provided by these statistics in-
cludes the number of companies and the number of persons employed, salaries, gross production value, cost of goods and services consumed and gross investment in fixed, tangible assets.
The industry group "Business services" consists of legal services, accounting, auditing and book-keeping services, data processing and tabulating services, engineering, architectural and technical services, advertising services and other business services. Since 1979 statistics have been compiled for all groups, with the exception of legal services, which were not included until 1980. These figures are published in NOS Forretningsmessig tjenesteyting (Business Services).
Figures for the industrial group "Repair of motor vehicles" were first published for the period 1949-1969 in NOS Industrial Statistics/Industrial Production Statistics. Data are not available for the years 1970-1977. New statistics for the industrial group have been compiled since 1978 and are published in the Weekly bulletin of statistics.
The number of persons employed in business services increased by 78 per cent in the course of the 10-year period 1980-1990, representing an average annual increase of 5.9 per cent. During the same period the country's total employment figures increased by 0.4 per cent per year.
Employment in the business services displayed a relatively steady increase up until 1988. Growth stagnated in 1988 and employment figures dropped in 1989 and 1990.
The industry's share of the country's total labour force rose from 2.3 per cent in 1980 to 4.1 per cent in 1988. By 1990 this figure had fallen to 3.9 per cent.
During the 10-year period from 1980 to 1990 gross production value and value added grew by 16.6 and 15.9 per cent, respectively. In comparison, in the same period Gross Domestic Product showed an average annual growth of 8.4 per cent. Business services' share of GDP rose from 2.2 per cent in 1980 to 3.7 per cent in 1990.
In car repair shops employment increased rapidly during the period 1949-1969. From 1978 and up to 1985, employment in car repair shops was relatively stable. In the period 1985-1988 employment increased, only to fall in the following 2 years to the lowest figure registered during the 13 years the new statistics have been compiled.