Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers was MOP544 in the third quarter of 2010, up by 7.3% quarter-to-quarter. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP583) rose by 8.6%, and that of unskilled workers (MOP351) went up by 3.2%. Among the skilled & semi-skilled workers, the average daily wage of painters (MOP636) and carpenters (MOP590) registered the largest increase of 22.8% and 21.4% respectively, attributable to rising demand of painters and carpenters during the completion stage of some tourism and gaming facilities and hotel projects.

After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers for the third quarter of 2010 was 96.7 in real terms, up by 3.8% over the previous quarter.

As regards construction materials, the average price of spiral and round reinforcing steel bars decreased by 7.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP4,511 per tonne, and that of Portland cement dropped by 1.5% to MOP643 per tonne; however, the average price of sand registered an increase of 3.1%, at MOP82 per cubic metre.

In the third quarter of 2010, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings fell by 2.3% quarter-to-quarter to 135.1; in particular, the price indices of electric wires and steel decreased by 8.5% and 3.3% respectively, while the price indices of concrete pipe piles and timber increased by 1.7% and 0.5%. Compared with the same quarter of 2009, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings registered an increase of 7.5%.