Construction sector continues declining trend

A sample survey carried out among construction enterprises by the National Statistics Office has shown that employment went down by 2.5 per cent, wages and salaries decreased by 2.7 per cent and hours worked declined by 5.7 per cent when compared to the third quarter last year.

Year-on-year data reveal that employment in construction activities went down by 2.5 per cent, on account of declines in employment in the construction of buildings and in specialized construction activities of 1.6 and 5.4 per cent respectively. On the other hand, employment in civil engineering added 9.5 per cent.

During the period under review, wages and salaries declined by 2.7 per cent, resulting from drops of 4.5 and 5.7 per cent in wages and salaries paid in the construction of buildings and specialized construction activities respectively.

This decline was partially mitigated by a 17.2 per cent rise in wages and salaries paid in respect of civil engineering.

During the third quarter, hours worked decreased by 5.7 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Hours worked in the construction of buildings and specialized construction activities went down by 1.3 and 17.6 per cent respectively. The overall decline was partially offset by an increase of 15.8 per cent in hours worked in civil engineering.

Residential units for which new permits have been granted

During the third quarter, the number of units for which new permits were granted dropped by 24.2 per cent over the corresponding period last year. This was reflected in a 15.2 and 26.0 per cent decline in one and two or more dwelling residential buildings respectively. Whereas new permits for the construction of terraced houses and other residential buildings dipped by 36.1 and 37.5 per cent respectively, new permits for maisonettes increased by 6.6 per cent.