Professional, scientific, technical turnover index, Germany
Professional, scientific, technical turnover index, Germany stood at 156.8 in Jul 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank and Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis). It is one of the indicators in the Services output, turnover and employment table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 2015 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Services output, turnover and employment table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected services and accommodation (H, I, J, L, M, N) | 150.2 | 149.3 | 151.5 | 148.7 | 147.4 | 148.1 | 147.3 | 144.9 | 145.4 | 145.7 | |
| Section M - Professional, scientific and technical activities | 156.8 | 153.6 | 156.9 | 154 | 150.2 | 155.5 | 153.9 | 153.5 | 152.6 | 153.2 | |
| Section N - Administrative and support service activities | 163.9 | 162.6 | 164.5 | 163.3 | 163 | 166.2 | 165.8 | 163.6 | 164 | 165.3 |
Understanding professional, scientific, technical turnover index, Germany
This Section M turnover indicator tracks the nominal invoicing of knowledge-intensive corporate services. It aggregates the gross revenue billed by law firms, accounting partnerships, management consultancies, engineering groups, and research laboratories. Unlike price-adjusted volume metrics, this row captures the actual monetary receipts of the sector, fully reflecting increases in hourly billing rates and premium retainer fees. It isolates highly specialized, credentialed business-to-business services from the routine operational tasks found in the administrative support branch.
To identify genuine underlying trends in this specialized sector, analysts frequently rely on smoothed quarterly comparisons rather than single-month prints. Evaluating period-on-period growth is complicated by highly irregular invoicing patterns, as massive legal settlements or the completion of long-term architectural designs can cause isolated, massive spikes in monthly revenue. Initial estimates are particularly unreliable, given that boutique consultancies and private partnerships often face significant administrative lags in filing their monthly tax returns. Additionally, analysts must be wary of structural breaks caused by multinational corporations relocating their centralized research headquarters across borders for tax optimization purposes.
Frequently asked questions
- Does an increase mean more consulting work was done?
- Not necessarily, as a rise in nominal turnover could simply result from professional firms increasing their hourly billing rates.
- Are advertising agencies included in this data?
- Marketing and advertising firms are core components of this specialized professional sector.
- How does project billing affect the index?
- Large milestone payments for long-term consulting or engineering projects can create significant short-term volatility in the data.