The National Index of Construction (Sinapi), calculated by IBGE in partnership with Caixa Econômica Federal, changed by 1.28% in August.

The National Index of Construction (Sinapi), calculated by IBGE in partnership with Caixa Econômica Federal, changed by 1.28% in August, being 0.25 percentage points above the July figure (1.03%). The result was significantly higher than (0.99 percentage points) the index registered in August last year (0.29%) and, this way, led to rise of the result of the last 12 months to 9.99%, versus the 8.92% of the immediately previous 12 months. The index accumulated in the year reached 7.72%, almost twice as the change observed in the same period last year (3.88%).

The national cost by square meter changed from R$ 644.23, in July, to R$ 652.45 in August, of which R$ 375.81 refer to expenditure with material; and R$ 276.64, with manpower.

For the third consecutive month, material, with hike of 1.83%, was significantly higher than manpower, which had the same rate as in July (0.53%).

In the year, material accumulated rise of 8.08%, above the 2.89% registered in the same period in 2007. The same occurred to manpower, with hike of 7.23% from January to August 2008, versus 5.24% of the same period last year.

In the last 12 months, the accumulated index of material reached 10.55% and was also above the change of the immediately previous 12 months (8.98%), as well as manpower, whose hike of 9.24% surpassed that of the immediately previous 12 months (8.84%).

North Region has the highest index in August once more  

Affected by the result of Tocantins, the state where there were salary readjustments due to collective work agreements, the North Region had, once more, the biggest change (1.63%), although below the 2.10% of July. Also above the national average (1.28%) were the South (1.49%) and Central West Regions (1.35%), whereas the Northeast (1.21%) and the Southeast Region (1.15%) had rates below average. The South region was a highlight for having the biggest change in the year (9.01%). In terms of the index accumulated in the last 12 months, the highest rate was that of the North (11.43%). The lowest rates accumulated in these periods were those of the Northeast Region (6.51% and 8.84%, respectively, in the year and in 12 months).

In terms of regional costs, the values by square meter were: R$ 692.35 in the Southeast; R$ 649.59 in the South; R$ 641.63 in the North; R$ 628.03 in the Central West and R$ 605.93 in the Northeast.

Salary agreement causes Tocantins to have the biggest rise

As previously mentioned, a salary agreement has led the state of Tocantins to have the highest index in August (4.99%), a month in which a big number of the states had changes above 1.00%, as a consequence of the pressure effected by the rise of construction material prices.

Among the states, Acre had the highest figures accumulated in the year and in the last 12 months: 11.55% and 14.07%, respectively.

These results are calculated monthly by IBGE through a partnership with Caixa Econômica Federal, for Sinapi - National System of Costs Survey and Indexes of Construction. Sinapi, created in 1969, is aimed at producing information and indexes for national coverage in a systematic way, in order to help in the elaboration and evaluation of budgets, monitoring of costs, adequacy of material and the scheduling of investments.

In 2002, the National Congress sanctioned, through the law LDO (Budgetary Directives Law), the use of Sinapi as the reference to the calculation of costs in public construction.

SELECTED STATISTICS

AUGUST/08

SOURCE: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Índices de Preços.