Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary

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Provides preliminary estimates of value of total construction work done, building work done and engineering construction work done

Reference period

December 2020

Released

24/02/2021

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Key statistics

The seasonally adjusted estimate for total construction work done fell 0.9% to $51,170.6m in the December quarter.
Building work done rose 0.6% to $29,373.9m.
Engineering work done fell 2.8% to $21,796.6m.

Value of construction work done

		Dec 20	Sep 20 to Dec 20	Dec 19 to Dec 20
		$m	%	%
Trend estimates(a)
Value of work done
	Building	na	na	na
	Residential	na	na	na
	Non-residential	na	na	na
	Engineering	na	na	na
	Total construction	na	na	na
Seasonally adjusted estimates(a)
Value of work done
	Building	29,373.9	0.6	-2.2
	Residential	17,865.3	2.7	-0.7
	Non-residential	11,508.6	-2.4	-4.5
	Engineering	21,796.6	-2.8	-0.3
	Total construction	51,170.6	-0.9	-1.4

na not available
a. Reference year for Chain Volume Measures is 2018-19.

Value of construction work done, chain volume measures - seasonally adjusted estimates
	Total building ($m)	Engineering construction ($m)
Dec-12	24,533.9	39,619.3
Mar-13	24,371.6	37,792.4
Jun-13	24,626.7	37,149.7
Sep-13	25,194.3	38,593.7
Dec-13	25,112.9	38,129.9
Mar-14	25,966.5	36,161.8
Jun-14	26,360.1	35,448.0
Sep-14	26,551.8	32,313.3
Dec-14	26,829.0	31,572.7
Mar-15	28,215.7	28,883.7
Jun-15	27,708.2	31,092.2
Sep-15	28,412.3	28,762.7
Dec-15	29,143.0	26,714.5
Mar-16	29,542.6	25,585.2
Jun-16	30,431.7	23,015.1
Sep-16	29,351.9	22,072.2
Dec-16	30,169.0	22,223.8
Mar-17	29,997.9	22,933.0
Jun-17	30,115.7	27,671.5
Sep-17	30,569.6	37,805.1
Dec-17	31,057.5	25,437.9
Mar-18	31,562.2	26,090.5
Jun-18	32,299.3	25,817.2
Sep-18	32,021.6	24,250.0
Dec-18	31,892.4	23,467.1
Mar-19	32,037.7	22,470.9
Jun-19	30,553.2	22,017.5
Sep-19	31,271.7	22,109.4
Dec-19	30,040.6	21,861.7
Mar-20	30,535.9	21,839.3
Jun-20	29,641.0	22,927.4
Sep-20	29,185.2	22,432.3
Dec-20	29,373.9	21,796.6

Value of construction work done, chain volume measures - seasonally adjusted estimates

["","Total building","Engineering construction"]

[["Dec-12","Mar-13","Jun-13","Sep-13","Dec-13","Mar-14","Jun-14","Sep-14","Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20"],[[24533.900000000001],[24371.599999999999],[24626.700000000001],[25194.299999999999],[25112.900000000001],[25966.5],[26360.099999999999],[26551.799999999999],[26829],[28215.700000000001],[27708.200000000001],[28412.299999999999],[29143],[29542.599999999999],[30431.700000000001],[29351.900000000001],[30169],[29997.900000000001],[30115.700000000001],[30569.599999999999],[31057.5],[31562.200000000001],[32299.299999999999],[32021.599999999999],[31892.400000000001],[32037.700000000001],[30553.200000000001],[31271.700000000001],[30040.599999999999],[30535.900000000001],[29641],[29185.200000000001],[29373.900000000001]],[[39619.300000000003],[37792.400000000001],[37149.699999999997],[38593.699999999997],[38129.900000000001],[36161.800000000003],[35448],[32313.299999999999],[31572.700000000001],[28883.700000000001],[31092.200000000001],[28762.700000000001],[26714.5],[25585.200000000001],[23015.099999999999],[22072.200000000001],[22223.799999999999],[22933],[27671.5],[37805.099999999999],[25437.900000000001],[26090.5],[25817.200000000001],[24250],[23467.099999999999],[22470.900000000001],[22017.5],[22109.400000000001],[21861.700000000001],[21839.299999999999],[22927.400000000001],[22432.299999999999],[21796.599999999999]]]

[]

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The value of total construction work done fell 0.9% in the December quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. The fall was driven by engineering construction, which fell 2.8% in the December quarter, and is 0.3% lower than at the same time last year. Building work done rose 0.6%, but is 2.2% lower than at the same time last year.

Value of building work done, chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted estimates
	Residential building ($m)	Non-Residential building ($m)
Dec-12	14,874.2	9,615.2
Mar-13	14,706.3	9,616.4
Jun-13	14,892.8	9,687.2
Sep-13	15,099.2	10,040.1
Dec-13	15,065.7	9,993.4
Mar-14	16,017.9	9,917.5
Jun-14	16,359.8	9,973.1
Sep-14	16,352.8	10,164.7
Dec-14	16,988.5	9,823.1
Mar-15	18,178.8	10,029.9
Jun-15	17,822.1	9,877.4
Sep-15	18,493.0	9,916.2
Dec-15	19,067.6	10,074.3
Mar-16	19,753.2	9,799.2
Jun-16	20,172.2	10,264.4
Sep-16	19,915.0	9,448.0
Dec-16	20,507.8	9,673.3
Mar-17	19,720.7	10,278.4
Jun-17	19,719.4	10,396.9
Sep-17	19,723.1	10,845.8
Dec-17	19,695.7	11,359.0
Mar-18	20,356.3	11,206.1
Jun-18	21,018.2	11,282.5
Sep-18	20,815.5	11,206.6
Dec-18	20,443.8	11,448.6
Mar-19	20,094.6	11,943.0
Jun-19	19,286.2	11,266.7
Sep-19	18,968.9	12,302.8
Dec-19	17,983.8	12,056.7
Mar-20	18,107.7	12,428.2
Jun-20	17,458.1	12,182.9
Sep-20	17,388.4	11,796.8
Dec-20	17,865.3	11,508.6

Value of building work done, chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted estimates

["","Residential building","Non-Residential building"]

[["Dec-12","Mar-13","Jun-13","Sep-13","Dec-13","Mar-14","Jun-14","Sep-14","Dec-14","Mar-15","Jun-15","Sep-15","Dec-15","Mar-16","Jun-16","Sep-16","Dec-16","Mar-17","Jun-17","Sep-17","Dec-17","Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20"],[[14874.200000000001],[14706.299999999999],[14892.799999999999],[15099.200000000001],[15065.700000000001],[16017.9],[16359.799999999999],[16352.799999999999],[16988.5],[18178.799999999999],[17822.099999999999],[18493],[19067.599999999999],[19753.200000000001],[20172.200000000001],[19915],[20507.799999999999],[19720.700000000001],[19719.400000000001],[19723.099999999999],[19695.700000000001],[20356.299999999999],[21018.200000000001],[20815.5],[20443.799999999999],[20094.599999999999],[19286.200000000001],[18968.900000000001],[17983.799999999999],[18107.700000000001],[17458.099999999999],[17388.400000000001],[17865.299999999999]],[[9615.2000000000007],[9616.3999999999996],[9687.2000000000007],[10040.1],[9993.3999999999996],[9917.5],[9973.1000000000004],[10164.700000000001],[9823.1000000000004],[10029.9],[9877.3999999999996],[9916.2000000000007],[10074.299999999999],[9799.2000000000007],[10264.4],[9448],[9673.2999999999993],[10278.4],[10396.9],[10845.799999999999],[11359],[11206.1],[11282.5],[11206.6],[11448.6],[11943],[11266.700000000001],[12302.799999999999],[12056.700000000001],[12428.200000000001],[12182.9],[11796.799999999999],[11508.6]]]

[]

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[{"axis_id":"0","tick_interval":"3000","axis_min":"7000","axis_max":"22000","axis_title":"$m","precision":"1","table_units":"($m)","tooltip_units":"(m)","axis_units":"","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

The value of building work done rose 0.6% in the December quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. The increase was driven by residential building work done, which rose 2.7% in the December quarter, but is 0.7% lower than at the same time last year. Non- Residential building work done declined by 2.4%, and is 4.5% lower than at the same time last year.

Value of construction work done, chain volume measures - seasonally adjusted estimates
	Dec 20	Sep 20 to Dec 20	Dec 19 to Dec 20
	$m	%	%
State/Territory
New South Wales	15,511.8	-0.8	-3.8
Victoria	13,985.5	-1.0	-2.7
Queensland	10,088.0	3.5	1.5
South Australia	2,739.5	-9.6	-9.2
Western Australia	6,578.7	-4.0	5.4
Tasmania	799.2	7.0	-1.3
Northern Territory	615.2	11.8	30.8
Australian Capital Territory	940.9	3.6	-0.1

Total construction work done fell in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, while all other states and territories rose.

Data downloads

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Data files

TABLE 01. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia
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TABLE 02. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia
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TABLE 03. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia
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TABLE 04. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Original
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TABLE 05. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Seasonally Adjusted
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TABLE 06. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia
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TABLE 07. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original
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TABLE 08. Value of Construction Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories
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TABLE 09. Value of Construction Work Done, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original
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TABLE 10. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, Australia, Original
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TABLE 11. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, States and Territories, Original
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Data Cubes

Data files

Relative standard errors, building work done - Australia
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Relative standard errors, building work done - states and territories
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Relative standard errors, total construction work done - states and territories
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Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - Australia
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Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - states and territories
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Notes

About this issue

This publication provides an early indication of trends in building and engineering construction activity. The data are estimates based on a response rate of approximately 75% of the value of both building and engineering work done during the quarter. This is lower than the average response rate due to difficulties collecting data this quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has not significantly impacted the quality of the estimates. More comprehensive and updated results will be released in Engineering Construction Activity, Australia on 31 March 2021 and in Building Activity, Australia on 14 April 2021.

Data notes

Mining projects tend to be complex in structure and comprise a number of different investment activities including exploration, engineering construction, plant and equipment and buildings. A feature article released in the March 2012 issue of Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia provides a summary of the conceptual basis of the relevant ABS publications that measure investment in Australia, using a hypothetical mining project to illustrate how this investment is reflected in ABS data.

Suspension of trend series

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in construction activity. This measurement will be significantly affected by changes to regular patterns in activity during this time, as the construction industry faces on-going uncertainty. If the trend estimates in this publication were to be calculated without fully accounting for this irregular event, they would likely provide a misleading view of underlying construction activity.

It may be some time before the underlying trend in construction activity can be accurately estimated. The trend series have therefore been suspended starting from June 2020. The trend series will be reinstated when more certainty emerges in the underlying trend.

Update to seasonal adjustment methods

Building and Engineering Activity use the concurrent seasonal adjustment method, meaning that seasonal factors are re-estimated each time a new data point becomes available. If not appropriately accounted for, unusual real-world events, such as COVID-19, can distort estimates calculated using this method. From September 2020, seasonal factors for Private sector non-residential building work done in Victoria are being calculated using data up to and including June 2020, then projected from September 2020 onwards. This approach, known as the forward factor method, ensures that the seasonal factors are not distorted by COVID-19 impacts.

Inquiries

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070. The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS will handle any personal information that you provide to us.

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 8755.0.

Methodology

Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary methodology, December 2020

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APA

Citation

Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary

APA

Citation

Key statistics

Value of construction work done

Data downloads

All time series workbooks

TABLE 01. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia

TABLE 02. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia

TABLE 03. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia

TABLE 04. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 05. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Seasonally Adjusted

TABLE 06. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia

TABLE 07. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 08. Value of Construction Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories

TABLE 09. Value of Construction Work Done, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 10. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, Australia, Original

TABLE 11. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, States and Territories, Original

Data Cubes

Relative standard errors, building work done - Australia

Relative standard errors, building work done - states and territories

Relative standard errors, total construction work done - states and territories

Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - Australia

Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - states and territories