Business services are the additional activities that support the primary business functions of a company. These activities do not produce any tangible goods, but they are still an important component of the economy and contribute to a country’s overall economic competitiveness. The business services industry comprises a variety of sectors, including IT, engineering, architecture, law and marketing. The industry also includes companies that specialize in staffing, consulting, waste management and shipping. Many of these companies are small, but the sector also includes multinational corporations and a number of government agencies.

The main characteristic of business services is that they are intangible, which means that a service doesn’t involve production of any physical product and cannot be stored like inventory. In addition, the value of a service can be measured in terms of time and expertise rather than money. Another key feature of business services is that they are typically consumed at the same time as they are produced. This is in contrast to consumer products, which are often sold after production.

A company may use business services to help improve customer service levels, increase profitability or reach new markets. In addition, a company might use business services to reduce operating costs by outsourcing noncore activities. For example, a company might hire an outside firm to handle IT needs and support the company’s software systems and network.

Another common business service is a translation service, which helps a company to communicate with customers and clients in other languages. This is particularly useful for international companies, which might need to translate documents, websites and other materials. The company can hire a translator or use a translation app to provide the service.

In addition to translation services, businesses may use other types of business services to improve efficiency and productivity. For example, a company might outsource some of its data storage or email hosting to reduce the amount of time it spends on these tasks. A company might also use a business service to help it create a new marketing campaign or increase return on ad spend.

The services sector is an important contributor to the European economy and represents 11% of the EU GDP. It is also an increasingly important source of jobs, especially for young people. This is partly due to the fact that a number of business services can be delivered remotely, which makes them attractive to job seekers.

In addition, many of the skills required to work in a business service are transferable, so this sector is attractive to employees from other industries. In the future, there will be an increased demand for business services, especially in developing countries, as they strive to become more competitive in global markets. This will likely lead to increased employment in this sector. In addition, as technology evolves, it will make it easier to deliver business services remotely. This will increase the flexibility of companies and improve their ability to respond to changing market conditions quickly.