According to the spokesman for the merchants, the private sector is experiencing an alarming state of prostration, reflected in the decline of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as reported by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) on February 15, and the pronounced negative growth of the industry (-3.5%), commerce (-2.8%), and construction (-4.2%); precisely the sectors that generate the most employment in the country.

If nothing is done, the consequences on unemployment levels will increase in the coming months. Fenalco agrees with the National Association of Financial Institutions, which stated that excluding public spending activity, “productive sectors are practically already in recession as a result of the negative economic growth.”