BEIJING, March 15 -- China's service sector witnessed an accelerated recovery momentum in the first two months of 2023, official data showed Wednesday.

The index gauging the country's service industry output rose 5.5 percent year on year in the Jan-Feb period, rebounding from the 0.8-percent decrease in December 2022, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The sub-index tracking the output of the information transmission, software, and IT services climbed 9.3 percent year on year, while that for accommodation and catering expanded 11.6 percent.

NBS data showed that the country's railway and air transportation, postal services, accommodation, and leasing industry have rebounded to a rather active level.

The recovery of the service sector will contribute to stabilizing and expanding employment, according to the NBS.