2  See Taskforce of the Monetary Policy Committee of the European System of Central Banks (2006), Competition, productivity and prices in the euro area services sectors, ECB Occasional paper No. 44. BIS Review 89/2008  1  Within the services sector, over the last few decades there has been a slight increase in the importance of financial intermediation relative to other services sub-sectors.
Data show that in 2005 financial and business services represented the sub-sector accounting for the largest share of value added. Their relative importance for employment is more limited, as a result of their relatively high productivity compared to other services sub-sectors.