Economic activity in the US services sector expanded in April for the fourth consecutive month, according to the Institute of Supply Management’s Services PMI report. The services PMI rose to a reading of 51.9% in April from 51.2% in March.

Readings above 50% indicate the services sector is generally expanding, according to the ISM. The sector has grown in 34 of the last 35 months, with a lone contraction in December.

“Fourteen industries reported growth in April,” said Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM’s Services Business Survey Committee. “The Services PMI, by being above 50% for a fourth month after a single month of contraction and a prior 30-month period of expansion, continues to indicate sustained growth for the sector. The composite index has indicated expansion for all but three of the previous 159 months.”

The ISM employment index of the Services PMI fell to 50.8% in April from a reading of 51.3% in March. However, the ISM noted April is the most stable reading for the employment index in more than a year, as it fluctuated between expansion and contraction nine times in 2022.

The ISM Services PMI is based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives across the US.