Overview

• UIA board urged stabilizing interest rates at levels compatible with company capacities and establishing dedicated credit lines to bolster SME production and working capital.
• The UIA’s Centro de Estudios reported 37,000 industrial jobs lost since August 2023 at an average of 1,000–1,500 per month, signaling a plateau in the recovery.
• Industry’s manufacturing price index rose 86% since December 2023 versus a 150% increase in consumer prices, highlighting factories’ efforts to contain inflation.
• Leaders warned that rising smuggling and lenient Mercosur auto rules of origin risk undercutting local manufacturers and intensifying unfair competition.
• President Martín Rappallini set out a federal outreach schedule following talks with Minister Caputo to advance labor, tax and trade reforms.