Retail sales rose 13.2% in May, but company staffing fell 0.3%.

However, excluding fuel trade, the sector's real sales growth was 16.3 percent during the month of May.

The largest positive contribution (2.6 percentage points) to the annual variation was made by motor vehicles and motorcycles, mainly used in households.

Computer and telecommunications equipment for personal or domestic use also contributed 2.6 percentage points, while other motor vehicles and motorcycles contributed 1.3 percentage points.

From January to May 2025, retail sales grew by 11.0 percent, with IT and telecommunications equipment and personal or household equipment making the largest positive contribution (2.3 percent).

DANE also reported that for the month of May, the economic activities that most positively contributed to the performance of retail and vehicle sales were those related to new motor vehicle sales, with a 19.6 percent increase.

Meanwhile, sales at non-specialized stores with a selection consisting primarily of products other than food, beverages, and tobacco recovered by 33.8 percent.

Additionally, retail trade personnel decreased by 0.3 percent in May 2025 , reflecting a 7.3 percent decrease in temporary staff hired through companies.

Likewise, direct temporary staff fell 2.9 percent, and apprentice hiring fell 6.3 percent. In contrast, permanent staff increased 1.5 percent.