Micro- and small-sized companies have best 1st quarter in six years
Folha de S. Paulo - 05/14/2008
The MSC (Micro- and Small-Sized Companies) of the state of São Paulo sold R$ 62.3 billion (US$ 37.8 billion) in the first quarter of the year, a 2.4% growth in relation to the same period of 2007, according to the data from the Sebrae-SP Indexes (Indicadores Sebrae-SP) research. The result was the best one obtained in a first quarter in six years and represented a gain of R$ 1.5 billion (US$ 909.1 million) to the cash inflow of the companies. The monthly average sales of the MSC was R$ 15.9 thousand (US$ 9.64 thousand). If this higher profit was reflected on the increase of 2.7% in the income of the employees of these companies, it did not mean they have hired more people. The average of employees per company fell from 4.3 to 4.2. According to the coordinator of the research, Marco Aurélio Bedê, the positive result is due to a combination of economic factors, such as the recovery of the workers' real income and the good performance of the agribusiness that heated the economy in the countryside cities. Those cities pushed the positive result up, with a growth of 4.3% in the sales of the MSC. The companies of the state's capital and those located in the Metropolitan Area lost, respectively 2.7% and 2.4% of income compared to the first quarter of 2007. Among the sectors, commerce had the best performance, with a growth of 8.2%. The sector of services lost 2% in sales in the quarter in relation to the same period of 2007. Unlike the data from CNI (National Confederation of the Industry), released last week, which shows an expansion of 7.6% above inflation in the industrial income in the first quarter of this year, the MSC of the industrial sector retracted 6.6% in the period, according to Sebrae-SP. Among the goals of the industrial policy announced by the government yesterday is the increase in the number of MSCs that export their production from 11,792 to 12,971 units. For Bedê, the exchange rate is the main obstacle for the MSC to export. "The government created benefits, but it did not change the exchange rate, which determines the exportation profitability. For him, the size and lack of maturity of the businesses are also problems for the MSC to compete in the international market.