INCC registers slight variation in the cost of civil construction

The month of March presented a slight variation in the National Civil Construction Index (Sinapi), remaining below the percentage of February. The accumulated rate in 12 months shows an advance of 9.06%, which represents that the national cost of construction per square meter has risen. According to the IBGE, the cost increased to R$1,689.13, with R$1,002.60 referring to materials and R$686.53 referring to labor.

Among the Brazilian regions, three showed positive variation in the share of materials: the highest increase was in the Northeast, with a rate of 0.51%; in the North, with 0.04% and in the South with 0.43%. The Midwest, with emphasis on Brasília, registered a negative variation. Federal counselor Ana Cláudia Arruda says that this change was due to salary adjustments that took place in some states, but that this does not represent pressure on the sector, but rather stability in consumption and in the price of construction materials and labor.

The adviser explains that the reduction in rates would be an important factor to leverage the economy. “The impacts are positive. What is clearly observed is that if rates decrease and if macroeconomic conditions are favourable, we will have a great recovery in civil construction, which is a strategic sector for the economy to start, since it is a sector that largely employs and purchases strategic inputs.

Since 2020, the stability of the indices has been impacted differently by the Covid-19 pandemic, with labor being more affected than the rise in construction material prices.