Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers was MOP547 in the second quarter of 2009, up slightly by 0.9% quarter-to-quarter. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP580) rose by 4.1%, of which welders (MOP706), scaffolders (MOP665) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP604) were earning higher average wages; meanwhile, the average daily wage of unskilled workers (MOP353) registered an increase of 2.6%.

After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers for the second quarter of 2009 was 98.5 in real terms, up by 1.8% over the previous quarter.

As regards construction materials, the average price of spiral and round reinforcing steel bars continued its downward trend from the last quarter, falling by 19.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP4,122 per tonne, and that of cement declined slightly by 0.2% to MOP650 per tonne; however, the average price of concrete registered an increase of 1.6%, at MOP322 per cubic metre.

In the second quarter of 2009, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings dropped further by 4.6% quarter-to-quarter to 121.3, of which the price indices of steel and concrete pipe piles decreased by 19.6% and 3.6% respectively, while the price indices of electric wires and aluminium went up by 11.0% and 1.6%. Compared with the same quarter of 2008, the price index registered a decrease of 20.5%.