The index that assesses the number of employees in the construction industry remained practically stable in April, compared to March, informed the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) today (18). Last month, the index stood at 50.7 points, compared to 50 points recorded in March.
The data are contained in the Industrial Survey of Construction bulletin.
The activity level index, on the other hand, was 50.1 points, recording a decrease of 1.2 points in relation to March. Despite the drop in relation to March, construction performance in April remained positive.
The indices evaluated by the CNI range from 0 to 100. Values above 50 indicate an increase in employment, production, inventory above planned or use of installed capacity above usual. Values below 50 indicate that the activity level is below usual. The value close to the 50-point dividing line, which separates an increase from a fall from the level of activity, signals stability.
The index has not presented a value above 50 points for the month of April since 2012, when it registered 50.6 points. The entity said, however, that the results are the best for the month of April, since 2012.
“The construction performance in April 2022 was positive for the period when compared to recent years. The activity level index stood at 50.1 points in April 2022, recording a decrease of 1.2 points compared to March. The value close to the 50-point dividing line, which separates an increase from a fall from the level of activity, signals stability. The index has not presented a value above 50 points for the month of April since 2012, when it registered 50.6 points”, said the CNI.
In April, the Use of Operating Capacity (UCO) of the civil construction industry fell by 1 percentage point compared to March, from 68% to 67%.
Confidence
CNI also released the Businessman Confidence Index (Icei) of the civil construction industry for the month of May. The indicator showed an increase of 0.7 points, compared to April, reaching 56.2 points.
“As it is above the 50-point dividing line that separates confidence from lack of confidence, the index indicates that construction entrepreneurs are confident. The result is the best for May since 2012, when it reached 60.9 points”, informed the confederation.
However, the perception of entrepreneurs in relation to current conditions remains negative in May. The Current Conditions Index stood at 48.6 points, up 0.2 points from the previous month. Thus, as highlighted for Icei, the result is the best for May since 2012.
In May, the index of expectations for new ventures and services showed a small drop in optimism, dropping 0.5 point to 56 points. In the same way, the index of expectation of the number of employees also registered a decrease of 0.5 point, to 56.2 points. “Nevertheless, the indicator is above 50 points, which points to positive expectations and growth”, says the bulletin.
The expectation of the business community for the coming months remains stable. The index of expectations of entrepreneurs in relation to the level of activity remained stable, remaining at 58.1 points, while the index of expectation of purchases of inputs and raw materials increased 0.3 points, to 57.4 points.
For the preparation of the survey, the CNI consulted 419 companies, 156 of which were small, 175 medium-sized and 88 large, between the 2nd and 10th of May.
