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The BER takes the percentage of respondents that rates prevailing conditions as satisfactory as indicator or proxy of business confidence.
Detailed data on consumer confidence is provided, disaggregated by income, LSM and population groups as well as per province.
The index can vary between zero (indicating an extreme lack of confidence) and 100 (indicating extreme confidence).
The FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index reflects the state of business conditions in the civil engineering industry.
The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) lost ground in February, with the headline index declining from 48.7 to 47.4. Most of the PMI subcomponents remained broadly unchanged from January, but weaker business activity and a further decline in employment weighed on the headline index.
Read MoreFollowing a very bleak end to the year, the seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) perked up at the start of 2026. The Absa PMI rose by a solid 8.2 points to 48.7 in January. While the index can be volatile, the magnitude of this increase is significant – although it still remained below the neutral 50-point mark.
Read MoreThe Absa PMI decreased further by 1.5 points to 40.5 points in December 2025, remaining firm in contractionary territory. However, it is important to note that an unusually sharp decline in the inventories index, as well as a steep decline in the employment index, were the main drivers of the weaker headline reading. New sales orders were barely changed from November and remained at a subdued level, while business activity actually improved sharply during the month, albeit remaining below the 50 mark.
Read MoreThe seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped by a steep 7.2 index points to 42 in November 2025. The sharp decline was underpinned by deteriorations in four of the five subcomponents of the headline PMI, with only employment looking slightly better.
Read MoreThe seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) decreased by 1.6 points to 49.2 points in October 2025 from 50.8 in September.
The Absa PMI increased by 2.7 points to 52.2 points in September 2025 and returned to expansionary territory for the second time in 2025. Encouragingly, the average PMI for 2025Q3 rose to 50.8 points, above Q1 and Q2. The improvement has not been smooth, with volatility in the recovery of demand hampering sustained activity growth.
Read MoreThe Absa PMI declined by 1.4 points to 49.5 points in August 2025 and returned to contractionary territory. This partially reversed the 2.3-point improvement in July, when the PMI edged into expansionary territory for the first time in nine months.
Read MoreThe seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged above the 50-point mark and recorded an expansion for the first time in nine months, increasing by 2.3 points to 50.8 in July 2025, driven by a relatively strong recovery in demand. The last time the headline PMI was in the above-50 expansionary territory was in October 2024 at 52.6 points.
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