This was the consensus of the Argentine Chamber of Construction (Camarco) and the Mediterranean Foundation, which warned of a deepening crisis in this sector with a 15.5 percent drop in registered employment nationwide since November 2023.

Camarco pointed out that 65,382 formal jobs have been lost since December 2023, representing a cumulative contraction of 15.5 percent.

The extended halt in public works, defaults on state payments, and a decline in private investment combine to cause such job losses, evident in all provinces, but those in northeastern Argentina are the most affected, the Chamber indicated in a report released by Ambito Financiero.

It warned that late payments on executed certificates, which in many cases exceed 90 days, directly affect the solvency of large, medium-sized, and small companies, with the latter being the most affected.

It was learned that more than four thousand construction SMEs are at financial risk, and that by province, the most affected ones are Santa Cruz and La Rioja. Only Mendoza showed a slight growth of 1.7 percentage points, while the situation is serious in northeastern Argentina, which has accumulated a decline of 40.5 percent in the last two years.

For Camarco and the Mediterranean Foundation, it is imperative to resume public investment in public works, rebuild the payment chain, reduce tax burdens, and open lines of credit to boost activity and thus curb unemployment and prevent a larger collapse.

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