posting 50.6 in May, marking a 16th straight month of growth but at the slowest pace in six months. Activity growth eased in line with softer new business gains, as new orders rose at the weakest rate in a ten-month expansion streak. Export demand declined for a third straight month, alongside temporary election-related uncertainty. Input costs continued to rise sharply - driven by higher energy and labor expenses - though the overall pace of cost inflation slowed to a 3-month low. As a result, service providers raised their output charges at a slower rate, with output price inflation falling to its lowest since December 2020. Despite weaker demand, firms continued to expand staffing levels to meet existing workloads, leading to the first marginal drop in outstanding business in three months. However, confidence among service providers slipped to its lowest since last November amid concerns over global trade