Civil construction raised the alert level in relation to interest pressure. The concern is added to the price of inputs, such as iron and steel, according to a survey that the CBIC (Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry) released this Monday (25).
In the first quarter, almost 27% of entrepreneurs said that the main problem faced is interest. It’s the highest level since the second quarter of 2017, when 28% complained about the fee.
“In addition to the problems we already had, such as the price of inputs and high tax burden, now added the increase in interest that has taken away the purchasing capacity of buyers. This will certainly impact future employment”, says José Carlos Martins, president of CBIC.
In recent months, the sector has also reported difficulty in finding qualified labor. A survey carried out in February showed almost 90% of companies having difficulty in recruiting. In October last year, it was 77%.
Despite the complaints, the level of activity in the sector in the first quarter of 2022 was the best for the period in the last ten years.
In the monthly comparison, in March, construction registered the highest level of activity since October last year, surpassing the level of 50 points, which indicates progress.
The entity raised the sector’s GDP growth expectation for this year from 2% to 2.5%, but it is a much lower level than that recorded in 2021, of 9.7%.
Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Paulo Ricardo Martins
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