Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers was MOP523 in the third quarter of 2009, down by 4.4% quarter-to-quarter. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers (MOP562) fell by 3.1%, of which structural iron erectors (MOP648), welders (MOP645) and scaffolders (MOP632) were earning higher average wages; meanwhile, the average daily wage of unskilled workers (MOP350) registered a decrease of 0.8%. After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers for the third quarter of 2009 was 97.5 in real terms, down by 1.0% over the previous quarter. As regards construction materials, the average price of spiral and round reinforcing steel bars rebounded by 2.3% quarter-to-quarter to MOP4,217 per tonne, and that of cement increased slightly by 0.5% to MOP653 per tonne; however, the average price of concrete registered a decrease of 5.6%, at MOP304 per cubic metre. In the third quarter of 2009, the price index of construction materials for residential building rose by 3.6% quarter-to-quarter to 125.7, putting an end to three consecutive quarters of decline; in particular, the price indices of steel and electric wires increased by 2.3% and 12.5% respectively, while the price indices of concrete and timber went down by 5.4% and 0.5%. Compared with the same quarter of 2008, the price index of construction materials for residential building registered a decrease of 20.1%.
