Industry revenue falls 3.5% in August, reports CNI

Manufacturing industry revenue fell 3.5% in August, the second consecutive month of decline, according to the Industrial Indicators released by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) this Wednesday (7).

The result is accompanied by a reduction in hours worked and the use of installed capacity, signaling a loss of pace in industrial activity.

Main indicators

Revenue in August: drop of 3.5%;

Revenue in July: drop of 2.2%;

Revenue for the year: decline of 0.2%

Hours worked: drop of 1% in August

Hours worked in the year: drop of 0.8%

Installed capacity: from 77.5% to 76.9%

Installed capacity in the year: increase of 1.5%

Employment: stability in August

Employment for the year: drop of 0.5%

Wage bill: increase of 0.5% in August and 0.9% in the year

Average income: increase of 0.5% in August and 1.5% in the year

Revenue declines

The gross revenue of companies in the manufacturing industry fell 3.5% in August, after already falling 2.2% in July. With the two consecutive drops, revenue accumulated a decline of 0.2% from January to August 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.

The result reflects the loss of pace in industrial activity throughout the third quarter.

Factories operate less

Hours worked in production decreased by 1% in August. In the first eight months of the year, the indicator registered a drop of 0.8% compared to the same period in 2025.

The reduction in production also affected the use of the industrial park. Installed Capacity Utilization (UCI) fell 0.6 percentage points, from 77.5% to 76.9%.

Despite the monthly drop, the average use of installed capacity in the first eight months of 2026 was 1.5% above that recorded in the same period in 2025.

Employment remains stable

Industrial employment remained stable in August, maintaining the behavior observed in previous months.

However, from January to August, the sector's employment level fell by 0.5% compared to the first eight months of 2025.

The wage bill and the average income of workers continued to rise.

Wage bill: +0.5% in August and +0.9% in the year to date;

Average yield: +0.5% in August and +1.5% year to date.

Pressure on the industry

According to the CNI, among the factors that put pressure on the industry's performance are the tax burden, the cost of inputs and raw materials and high interest rates.

In a note, the entity states that these factors affect both the demand for industrial products and household debt and have had a prolonged impact on the sector.