palvelukaupan

Palvelukauppa, or service trade, refers to the exchange of services between buyers and sellers. It encompasses both international and domestic activity and is measured as exports and imports of services in national accounts and balance of payments. The World Trade Organization identifies four modes of supply for services: cross-border supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence, and presence of natural persons, reflecting how services are delivered across borders or through foreign providers.

The range of services covered is broad and includes financial and insurance services, information and communications technology, professional and technical services, transportation and travel, education, health, and maintenance or repair services. Because many services can be delivered digitally or with limited physical presence, the boundaries between domestic and international service trade are increasingly flexible. In statistics, service trade is often contrasted with goods trade to highlight different barriers, measurement challenges, and regulatory requirements.

Economic significance has grown as economies diversify from goods to services, with knowledge-intensive and digital services becoming dominant in many countries. Growth in service trade can contribute to higher productivity, innovation, and employment, while also raising policy questions around regulatory harmonization, market access, licensing, taxation, and data flows.

Policy considerations commonly focus on reducing non-tariff barriers to service providers, ensuring fair competition, and aligning standards across borders. Digitalization and globalization continue to reshape service trade, enabling new business models such as platform-enabled services and remote professional services.