Contribution commercial services to the economy remained stable

The contribution of commercial services to the Dutch economy remained stable over the past decade. In the 1980s and 1990s, services became increasingly important. Commercial services currently make up more than half of economic activities in the Netherlands provided by sectors like trade, transport, hotels and restaurants, business and financial services and information and communication.

Share commercial services in Dutch economy

Share of sectors trade, transport, hotels and restaurants and business services somewhat in decline

Nearly 60 percent of commercial services are provided by the sectors trade, transport and hotels and restaurants and business services. The share of these sectors in Dutch economy declined by approximately 2 percentage point in the early twenty-first century. In the ICT sector too, the golden years in the last decades of the twentieth century appear to be a thing of the past, despite popular mobile innovations like smart phones and tablet PCs. The boom, which occurred when the PC, the Internet and the mobile phone were introduced does not continue into the twenty-first century.

Structure commercial services, 2010

Boom in the 1980s and 90s

In the 1980s and 1990s, the sector commercial services was booming. There was an increasing demand for commercial services from the private sector. All kinds of services, previously performed by in-house staff, like catering and security services were being outsourced in the last decades of the twentieth century. Growth was also stimulated by all kinds of innovations in information and communication technology. ICT, but also temp agencies, were booming around the turn of the century. The use of external services by the private sector, the ICT boom and the ensuing growth of the services sector apparently have come to a standstill.

Growth various commercial services

Frank Notten