Construction workers see daily wage increase

The average daily wage of construction workers increased by 2.3 pct quarter-to-quarter to MOP672 in the third quarter of this year, and the average daily wage of local construction workers was recorded as MOP883, up by 7 pct.
According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), given the increase in demand for structural construction workers, the average daily wages of concrete formwork carpenters (MOP771), welders (MOP833) and plant operators (MOP927) increased by 9.5 pct, 9.2 pct and 7.3 pct respectively. In regards to the completion of buildings, the average daily wages of both air-conditioning mechanics (MOP635) and carpenters (MOP587) decreased by 11.3 pct.
After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers (94.1) increased by 0.6% quarter-to-quarter in real terms.
In regards to construction materials, the average price of concrete increased by 3.5 pct quarter-to-quarter, at MOP686 per cubic meter in the third quarter; while the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars was MOP4,959 per tone, down by 1.9 pct. Meanwhile, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings in the third quarter of 2014 increased by 0.9 pct quarter-to-quarter.