Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers increased by 4.0% quarter-to-quarter to MOP569 in the third quarter of 2011. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP581) rose by 3.4%, and that of unskilled workers (MOP363) went up by 2.0%. Analyzed by occupations, average daily wages of structural iron erectors (MOP671) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP632) increased by 11.1% and 3.8% respectively over the previous quarter; however, wage of plumbers (MOP603) decreased by 2.1%.

After discounting the effect of inflation, wage index of construction workers was 92.0 in real terms in the third quarter of 2011, up by 1.5% quarter-to-quarter.

As regards construction materials, the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars increased by 3.8% quarter-to-quarter to MOP6,045 per tonne, and that of concrete rose significantly by 16.1% to MOP404 per cubic metre.

The price index of construction materials for residential buildings rose by 5.2% quarter-to-quarter to 119.4 in the third quarter of 2011; in particular, price indices of steel, concrete and timber increased by 3.8%, 17.1% and 3.7% respectively. Compared with the same quarter of 2010, price index of construction materials for residential buildings registered an increase of 20.4%.

Starting from the third quarter of 2011, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings has been rebased using 2010 as the base period, incorporating new items of construction materials and equipment commonly used, such as ceramic sanitary ware, ceramic tiles, lift etc., in order to better reflect the price changes of construction materials.