Construction wages down as Cotai projects finish

The average daily wage of construction workers decreased by 2.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016 when compared to the previous quarter, according to information released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
The decline, which saw average daily wages fall to MOP768, is being attributed by DSEC to a reduction in overtime following the completion of large-scale construction projects in Cotai.
In the same period, resident construction workers saw their average daily wage drop by 2.1 percent quarter-to-quarter to MOP961, while that of their non-resident counterparts rose by 2.2 percent to MOP687.
Analyzed by job role, the average daily wage of skilled and semi-skilled workers was MOP773, down by 3.5 percent quarter-to-quarter. Among them, the average daily wages of structural iron erectors (MOP790), painters (MOP719), bricklayers and plasterers (MOP651) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP820) decreased by 12 percent, 10.8 percent, 10.6 percent and 7.8 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, the wages of air-conditioning mechanics (MOP849) and carpenters (MOP1,142) increased by 3.2 percent and 2.9 percent respectively.
After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers (100) for the third quarter of 2016 decreased by three percent quarter-to-quarter in real terms, and that of local construction workers (125.1) dropped by 1.7 percent.
As for construction materials, the average price of concrete fell by 3.5 percent quarter-to-quarter to MOP797 per cubic meter in the third quarter of 2016, while the average price of spiral and round reinforcing steel bars edged down by 0.2 percent to MOP4,410 per ton.