In 2020, the sectors of trade, processing industry, electricity supply and construction had significantly increased results, agriculture entered the zone of positive business while catering and transport fell into negative business, according to data released today by the Agency for Economic Register (APR).
Ruzica Stamenkovic, from the Register of Financial Reports in APR, said that the trade sector had significantly increased results, which showed the highest individual net result of 1.1 billion euros, which is an increase compared to 2019 of 81.4 percent.
The manufacturing industry achieved higher results by 12.6 percent, construction by 72.6 percent, the information and communication sector by 19.6 percent, and the electricity supply increased the results by 6.6 times compared to 2019.
She pointed out that in 2020, agriculture entered the business zone with a profit, and in 2019 it was at a loss.
“Everyone has increased employment, except the sector of agriculture and electricity supply. The highest number of new employees in the processing industry, 17,015 workers, the percentage leader in increasing employment is information and communication with a 23% increase compared to 2019,” she said.
Stamenkovic added that these six sectors employ 68 percent of workers in the entire Serbian economy.
“This group of sectors has contributed to the growth of positive results of the economy in total, and their joint results amount to 3.4 billion euros and make 93.5 percent of the total results of the entire economy.”
The year of the pandemic had a rather disincentive effect on the real estate, mining and arts, entertainment and recreation sectors, where business remained positive but with an exceptional reduction in results, so it is almost on the verge of negative.
Real estate business in 2020 had over four-fifths lower results than in 2019, mining had lower results by 93 percent, and the arts, entertainment and recreation sector had a result lower by 78.9 percent.
“These sectors have greatly reduced the scope of their activities under the influence of the corona virus, but there are other problems, in terms of companies with large business losses, oil prices on the world market,” she said.
The sectors that went into negative business in 2020 are transport and warehousing, where a loss of 97 million euros was reported, ie accommodation and food services – the catering sector, where the loss is 77.8 million euros.
According to the APR data from the report of more than 106 thousand companies that employed more than 1.2 million people in 2020, the Serbian economy achieved a positive result of 3.6 billion euros.
APR stated that 59 percent of companies operated with a profit, which amounted to a total of 6.03 billion euros, while 27 percent of companies operated with a loss of 2.3 billion euros, RTV reports.
