Another decline for industrial output and construction activity in April

Construction activity and manufacturing output in Argentina posted further declines in April, according to fresh data published by the INDEC national statistics bureau.

Both sectors recorded a year-on-year decrease of 2.8 percent compared to the same month in 2025, said INDEC, chiming with a broader slowdown in economic activity.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, construction activity declined by four percent compared with March, while manufacturing output fell by 2.1 percent.

Despite April’s results, cumulative performance during the first four months of 2026 differed between the two sectors. Construction overall maintained growth of 2.1 percent compared with the same period in 2025, whereas manufacturing output accumulated a decline of 2.4 percent.

Following the release of the data, Economy Minister Luis Caputo highlighted that the trend-cycle indicator showed growth of 0.1 percent for industry and 0.3 percent for construction, marking five and six consecutive months of positive variation respectively. He also noted that, in March, the number of registered private-sector jobs in construction increased by 2.5 percent year-on-year, while the floor area authorised through building permits rose by 14.5 percent.

Manufacturing also posted a largely negative performance during April. Twelve of the 16 divisions surveyed by INDEC recorded year-on-year declines.

The sharpest contraction was seen in machinery and equipment, which fell by 20.2 percent. Within this sector, agricultural machinery manufacturing declined by 29.7 percent, driven by lower production and sales of tractors, combine harvesters, self-propelled sprayers, and other agricultural equipment.

Another of the most affected sectors was textiles, which contracted by 22.2 percent. In particular, the production of textiles and textile finishing services fell by 35.4 percent year-on-year. According to INDEC, the companies surveyed attributed the decline to weaker domestic demand.

– TIMES/PERFIL