Volume of services retreats 1.6% in April

The volume of services in Brazil decreased by 1.6% in April 2023, compared to the month of March. As a result, the index was above the pre-pandemic level, but below December 2022, which is the highest point in the historical series. The data were released by the IBGE.

According to the institute, services declined in 26 of the 27 Federation Units. The biggest impacts came from Goiás and Rio de Janeiro, with a result of around -5.5%. Other results were: Mato Grosso (-4.2%), Santa Catarina (-3.5%) and São Paulo (-1.5%). The only state that made a positive contribution in the month was Ceará, at 1.0%.

The fall in the volume of services in April was driven by four of the five activities evaluated, with emphasis on the fall in the transport sector (-4.4%), information and communication services (-1.0%) and administrative professionals ( -0.6%). The only increase of the month came from services rendered to families, with an increase of 1.2%.

Despite the scenario, the quarterly moving average was 0.2%, reaching the first positive result of 2023. The index accumulated over the previous year was 4.8%, with positive rates in all activities.