Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers increased by 4.1% quarter-to-quarter to MOP628 in the third quarter of 2013, and the average daily wage of local construction workers amounted to MOP776, up by 5.1%.

The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers was MOP635, an increase of 3.4% quarter-to-quarter, and that of unskilled workers was MOP375, down by 1.1%. Analysed by occupation, average daily wage of painters and concrete formwork carpenters was MOP588 and MOP644 respectively, up by 10.3% and 8.1% quarter-to-quarter; however, average daily wage of structural iron erectors decreased by 3.6% to MOP697.

After discounting the effect of inflation, wage index of construction workers (89.9) increased by 2.7% quarter-to-quarter in real terms, on account of rising wage indices of carpenters (+16.2%) and concrete formwork carpenters (+6.5%). Meanwhile, wage index of local construction workers (107.6) increased by 4.2% quarter-to-quarter in real terms.

As regards construction materials, average price of concrete increased by 13.8% quarter-to-quarter to MOP586 per cubic metre, due to the increasing demand for concrete in construction projects in Cotai; on the contrary, average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars decreased by 5.2%, at MOP4,984 per tonne. The price index of construction materials for residential buildings stood at 123.6 in the third quarter of 2013, up by 2.1% quarter-to-quarter, of which that of concrete (192.0) rose by 15.4%.