3:27 pm | An estimated for this year will increase by 30% generating employment in the metal sector, which translates into an increase in the number of workers to about 100 thousand.

This was stated by the President of the Association of Industrial Metal and Mining Venezuela (AIMM), Eduardo Garmendia, who pointed out that the sustainability of investment projects in the sectors oil, petrochemical, gas, housing, health, telecommunications, education and rail will enable this figure, supported by the development of special programmes for accelerated training of human resources that are advancing.

He reported that in the year 2007, the number of direct jobs to be generated in the sector was 76 thousand 765 workers, a figure which represented an increase of 2% compared to 2006.

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It also emphasized that the metal sector recorded an increase during 2007 to 8% in value of production, which fell 1 thousand 957 billion bolivars strong at constant prices since 1997.

He explained that this represents 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the total economy and 22% of GDP Manufacturing. In current terms, the GDP sectoral ranked Bs.F. 18.23 billion equivalent to 8.50 billion dollars.

Garmendia noted that these results have been leveraged in the sector participation in investment projects related to infrastructure and construction.

However, he said that require the acceleration in the supply of foreign exchange by the Commission for Administration of Foreign Exchange (Cadivi) to import inputs that are not produced in the country are around 400 thousand tons between heavy plate, large beams size and stainless steel.

'The lack of money at some time generated delays in the deliveries of production scheduled for 2007. However, everything was settled and it is expected that this year will be overcome these drawbacks, as a result of approaches that are bringing in different levels of the National Executive ', clarified Garmendia.

He indicated that the sector has supplied the domestic market with goods produced by companies attached to the AIMM and it is expected that production figures for this increase favorably 2008, based on expectations that the same has been forming for ads in the investment portfolio in various segments related.

The average production capacity used during the past year was 65%, said the president AIMM.

In his view, this figure shows that although some segments have moved to their highest levels of activity, the sector as a whole, has installed capacity available to undertake the manufacture of metallurgical goods required for the development of investment projects to go forward from the various segments of economic activity.

As for the contribution in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which took the metal sector, it is estimated that during the 2007 spent about 160 billion bolivars.

He explained that 20% of the funds was directed to the internal CSR (with the workers), 48% to fund Social Petroleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa), and 32% for projects with the community directly executed by the industrial sector partners, including those aimed at environmental protection. Chain Global / ABN