Economy and Mining Minister Daniel Mas said the government maintains its expectation of growth above 3% in 2027. He spoke after the opening of SME Week, on the same day that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its forecast for Chile.
According to Diario Financiero, the IMF published its World Economic Outlook report (WEO). It estimates that gross domestic product (GDP, the value of everything the country produces) will grow by just 0.6% this year.
The sources differ on the starting point for the downgrade. Diario Financiero reports that the IMF lowered its estimate from 2.4%. La Tercera, however, says the organization projected 1.8% in July.
For 2027, the Fund kept its forecast at 2.6%, the same level set in July, when it concluded the Article IV consultation, its annual review of each member country.
Those figures fall below the Ministry of Finance's projections in its latest Public Finance Report (IFP): 0.7% for this year and 3.3% for next year. In 2026, the difference is minimal. In 2027, the gap reaches 0.7 percentage points.
Mas acknowledged that forecasts change. "This will ultimately be the year when we put the economy in order, when we pay the bills, and next year, 2027, will be the year of growth and employment," he said.
The minister added that the government expects investment growth above 7%. According to him, that figure "is consistent with all the indicators of projects entering environmental assessment." Put simply, more projects submitted today could translate into construction and jobs later on.
Other forecasts are more pessimistic. Economists surveyed by the Central Bank expect GDP to grow by 0.2% this year and investment to rise by 5.8% in 2027, below the government's projection of 7%.
In the regional comparison, Chile ranks among the countries with the lowest growth in Latin America. La Tercera specifies that the IMF projects 2.3% for Latin America and the Caribbean. In South America, only Bolivia would have a worse figure, although the media outlets differ on its size: Diario Financiero reports a contraction of 0.3% and La Tercera a contraction of 3%.
At the same event, Labor Minister Tomás Rau ruled out a new withdrawal from AFPs (pension fund administrators) for unemployed people, as proposed by the People's Party. He recalled that the employment subsidy increased from $25,000 million to $91,000 million and said the labor flexibility bill, designated as highly urgent, should move to the Chamber's Finance Committee in a few weeks.
