Construction - November 2008

In November 2008 seasonally adjusted total construction output at constant prices was down by 0.2%, compared with the previous month. In comparison to November 2007, construction output at constant prices decreased by 5.6%. The planning and building control authorities granted 9 325 building permits, i.e. by 7.9% less year-on-year. Approximate value of permitted constructions decreased by 12.8% year-on-year and reached CZK 26.3 billion.
Seasonally adjusted total construction output at constant prices decreased by 0.2% month-on-month. The trend remained unchanged (see Table 3). 
Total construction output at constant prices dropped by 5.6% year-on-year; working days adjusted (WDA) construction output decreased by 2.2% (November 2008 was by three working days shorter than November 2007). Construction output was still affected by growing civil engineering, but its growth rate slowed down in comparison to the previous month. The decrease in building construction continued.
           
Contracted construction work carried out by construction enterprises with 20+ employees decreased by 6.4% year-on-year at constant prices. New construction, reconstruction and modernisation dropped by 5.6% (contribution -4.6 percentage points); building construction fell by 12.5% (contribution -5.8 p.p.) and civil engineering grew by 3.2% (contribution 1.2 p.p.). Repair and maintenance decreased by 6.3% (contribution -0.8 p.p.) and other work grew by 4.9% (contribution 0.0 p.p.). Construction work abroad decreased by 24.1% (contribution -1.0 p.p.).
 
The number of employees in construction enterprises with 20+ employees grew by 0.1%*) against November 2007. The average monthly nominal wage of employees increased by 10.2% year-on-year and reached CZK 27 988 (real wage grew by 5.6%). The average hourly wage increased by 21.7% year-on-year and stood at CZK 196. Labour productivity per employee decreased by 6.6% and labour productivity per hour worked rose by 3.2%. Hours worked dropped by 9.3% due to a lower number of working days.
       
The planning and building control authorities granted 9 325 building permits (-7.9%); 5 244 were for new constructions and 4 081 for renewals and enhancements. Compared to November 2007, building permits for new constructions decreased in all types of constructions. Decreases were recorded in residential buildings (-2.2%), non-residential buildings (-4.1%), other buildings (-5.2%) and environmental constructions (-27.8%). Building permits for renewals and enhancements grew most in other constructions (+7.8%), environmental constructions (+7.0%) and non-residential buildings (+4.8%); a fall was observed in residential buildings (-11.8%).
 
Approximate value of permitted constructions decreased by 12.8% in comparison to November 2007 and reached CZK 26.3 billion. New constructions are valued at CZK 18.3 billion (-8.0%, contribution ‑5.3 p.p.). Renewals and enhancements will make available constructions worth CZK 8.0 billion (‑22.0%, contribution -7.5 p.p.).
Compared to November 2007, approximate value of new constructions grew in environmental constructions (+114.4%, contribution 6.3 p.p.) and residential buildings (+19.5%, contribution 3.7 p.p.); decreases were recorded in non-residential buildings (-47.0%, contribution -11.5 p.p.) and other constructions (-22.5%, contribution -3.8 p.p.). Approximate value of renewals and enhancements grew in other constructions (+44.4%, contribution 2.6 p.p.). Decreases were observed in environmental constructions (-81.1%, contribution -3.1 p.p.), non-residential buildings (-35.3%, contribution -6.2 p.p.) and residential buildings (-10.6%, contribution -0.7 p.p.).
 
The planning and building control authorities permitted the construction of 3 140 dwellings, which was by 267 dwellings more (+9.3%) in comparison to November 2007; 2 674 dwellings (+313 dwellings) will be obtained by new construction and 466 dwellings (-46 dwellings) by renewals and enhancements. Approximate value of newly permitted dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings was CZK 7.3 billion. The planning and building control authorities permitted the construction of buildings with a floor area of 601.8 thousand m ² (-8.2%); floor area of residential buildings increased by 18.8% (contribution 8.9 p.p.) and of non-residential buildings dropped by 32.4% (contribution -17.0 p.p.). The average floor area of a newly constructed dwelling was 124.5 m ² and the approximate value was CZK 20.6 thousand per m ².
According to the Eurostat news release, WDA construction output in the EU27 was down by 3.5% year-on-year in October 2008; building construction decreased by 3.8% and civil engineering dropped by 1.9%. Among the EU member states for which data were available, the highest construction output increases were recorded in Romania (+20.6%), Slovakia (+15.7%) and Poland (+10.5%). The highest decreases were registered in Spain (‑13.7%) and Germany (-3.8%).

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Notes
Contact: Petra Curinova, phone (+420) 274054199, e-mail : petra.curinova@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises with 20+ employees and in planning and building control authorities
End of data collection:       7 January 2009
End of data processing:    12 January 2009
Related publications:         /1-ep-8
8201-08 Construction in the Czech Republic
8202-08 Building Notices Received and Building Permits Granted
 
In Table 1, data for September 2008 have been revised; data for October and November are preliminary and will be updated together with the news release for December 2008.
The data In Table 2 are finalised.

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*) The average registered number of employees does not include agency workers.