Services sector retreats 1.6% in April due to a drop in transport

The services sector had a decrease of 1.6% in April compared to the previous month, according to IBGE data released this Thursday morning (15). The fall after a gain of 2.1% was influenced by the retraction in four of the five activities calculated by the institute, with emphasis on the transport sector, with -4.4%, which reversed the gains of 7.5% between February and March.

The other decreases came from information and communication services (-1.0%), professional, administrative and complementary services (-0.6%); and other services (-1.1%).

Compared to the same month last year, the services sector had an increase of 2.7%, but with a slowdown throughout 2023 according to Rodrigo Lobo, research manager.

“It is the least intense result since March 2021 (4.6%), when this sequence of positive rates began. One of the reasons is the basis for comparison. We had very strong movements in 2021 and 2022 and now they are losing steam”, he analyzed.

Lobo says that the growth in the period was related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the adoption of telework, online services, cargo transport with the flow of agricultural production, which broke harvest records, and e-commerce. These activities showed strong movements in 2021 and 2022 and have been showing less intense growth.

In the overview of all states and the Federal District, the volume of services decreased in 26 areas, mainly in Goiás (-5.6%), Rio de Janeiro (-5.5%) and Mato Grosso (-4.2% ).

In the accumulated result for the year, the service sector increased by 4.8% and 6.8% in 12 months.