The value and volume of Irish services output both fell by 2.5% in August compared with July, according to the CSO’s release of 9 October. Against August 2025, services were 13.2% higher in value and 12.2% higher in volume.

A weak month and a strong annual comparison can coexist. The monthly figure describes the latest change from July; the annual figure compares with a different starting point a year earlier. Neither should be substituted for the other.

The sector mix changes the picture

The information and communication sector was central to the annual increase, with value rising by 20.1% and volume by 20.7%. The CSO also publishes a modified index excluding that sector.

On the modified measure, annual value growth was 2.3%, while volume was 0.2% lower than a year earlier. Over the month, modified value fell by 0.6% and volume by 1.3%.

Those differences are useful for readers trying to connect a national services headline with an individual business. The overall result does not mean every restaurant, professional practice or transport company experienced double-digit growth.

Transportation and storage recorded the largest monthly declines, at 5.3% in value and 8.1% in volume. Professional, scientific and technical activities moved upwards, by 3.4% and 2.1% respectively.

What value and volume tell you

In this release, value measures turnover. Volume removes the effect of price changes to better describe the amount of business activity. Revenue can rise without a matching rise in activity, so it is worth checking both columns before describing a sector as busier.

For a small Irish business reviewing its own month, the same distinction suggests a practical question: did receipts change because more work was completed, because prices changed, or because the mix of work changed? A national index cannot answer that question for an individual firm.

August’s figures are provisional. Save the release date alongside any figures you use, and check later revisions before repeating them in a business plan or public presentation. The most useful comparison keeps the same sector, period and measure throughout.