The main numbers that are being known regarding industry, commerce, construction and others, confirm thea sharp drop in sales in the midst of a strong adjustment of public accounts.
la Association of Portland Cement Manufacturers (AFCP) reported the drop in sales and showed its concern about the loss of jobs associated with public works, after the government of Javier Milei will stop all disbursements.
He cement is one of the main construction inputsand the drop in sales is a preview of the data on the general activity of the sector.
The 772,874 tons of cement shipped in January of this year represented a 20 percent drop compared to the levels in the same month of 2023.
Casualties of that magnitude They were only recorded in recent history during the economic crises of January 2019 and January 2020, and during the Covid pandemic.
Hard outlook in the construction sector
The data confirm that the panorama in the construction sectorwhich had been experiencing a deterioration since the second quarter of 2023 but at lower rates.
The INDEC reported this week the construction situation indicators in December and throughout 2023, which showed a decrease in construction activity. 3% year-on-year average in the year.
Construction expectations
As for the sector expectations, Among those who mainly carry out private work, 40.8 percent anticipated that activity will decrease during the first quarter of this year versus only 6.1 percent who anticipated an improvement, according to Indec. Among those who carry out public work, 77.4 percent estimated that the activity will decrease.
The current situation of the sector was rated “of emergency” by the owner of the Argentine Chamber of Construction (Camarco).
The Chamber includes about 1,400 of the total of 30,000 companies that are estimated to operate in the construction sector. It is estimated that 220,000 workers in the sector could be suspended if public works continue to be stopped for several months. The sector employs about 500,000 workers.
Source: Ambito
