In August, Ukrainian businesses slightly improved their business activity assessments. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the business activity expectations index (BIEA) rose to 49.0 from 48.3 in July and exceeded the figure for August 2024 (48.4).Growth was driven by buoyant consumer demand, a stable energy situation, slowing inflation, and seasonal factors. At the same time, business development was held back by the destruction of production facilities and infrastructure, high costs of restoration and resources, increased electricity tariffs for enterprises, and a shortage of qualified personnel.
Construction companies have been demonstrating the most optimistic sentiment for the fourth month in a row: the sectoral index in August rose to 54.0 from 50.6 in July. Trade enterprises also maintained positive assessments - 51.8 against 51.2 a month earlier, which is explained by active consumer sentiment and the arrival of a new harvest.The situation in industry remains more complicated - the indicator was 48.7 against 48.6 in July, which reflects the costs of restoration and the consequences of destruction. The most restrained sentiment was in the service sector - 47.0 against 45.8, which is associated with the high cost of logistics, the rise in electricity prices and the shortage of personnel.The labor market remains mixed dynamics: only construction companies reported plans to increase the number of employees, while enterprises in other sectors expect to reduce staff.
Source: https://fintechinsider.com.ua/biznes-polipshyv-strymani-oczinky-dilovoyi-aktyvnosti-u-serpni-nbu/
