Service providers recorded a further upturn in business activity during February, which was supported by gradually improving demand. However, staffing numbers decreased for the seventeenth successive months, partly due to pressure on margins from higher business expenses. Moreover, efforts to pass on increased cost burdens led to another robust uplift in prices charged. At 53.9 in February, the seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK Services PMI Business Activity Index was little-changed from January's five-month high of 54.0. The headline index has posted above the 50.0 no-change level in each month since May 2025 and ... (full story)