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According to the results of the 2005 Annual Survey of Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors released today (November 30) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the gross output of the construction sector was $142.3 billion in 2005, representing a decrease of 7.5% compared with 2004.
The gross operating surplus of the construction sector, which is equal to gross output less total operating expenditure, increased by 10.7% to $6.9 billion in 2005 as compared with 2004. The proportion of gross operating surplus in gross output was 4.9%, higher than that of 4.1% in 2004.
The value added of the construction sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, was $39.3 billion in 2005, representing a decrease of 3.4% compared with 2004.
The survey did not cover labour-only sub-contractors that mainly supplied labour to work on a job-to-job basis. However, the gross value of construction work performed by these sub-contractors had already been included in that performed by those contractors commissioning their services.
In addition to the construction sector, the survey also enumerated establishments engaged in real estate development, leasing, brokerage and maintenance management services; and architectural, surveying and project engineering services.
The gross output performed by establishments engaged in real estate development, leasing, brokerage and maintenance management services was $85.0 billion in 2005, representing an increase of 10.3% over 2004.
In 2005, the gross operating surplus of these establishments taken together rose by 14.6% from a year earlier to $47.1 billion. The proportion of gross operating surplus in gross output was 55.4%, higher than that of 53.3% in 2004.
The value added of these establishments taken together was $60.7 billion in 2005, representing a 12.6% increase from a year earlier.
In 2005, the total number of private building projects ever operated was 182. Among them, 66 were in Hong Kong Island, 58 in Kowloon and 58 in the New Territories and outlying islands. As at end-2005, 134 projects, which would together provide 7.4 million square metres gross floor area of buildings when completed, were still under construction.
The survey did not include establishments which developed real estate projects for their own use, nor did it include those which owned land but without developing it during the reference year. Also excluded were real estate leasing and other related activities undertaken by individuals or firms which employed less than two persons (except for subsidiaries of real estate enterprises).
As regards establishments engaged in architectural, surveying and project engineering services, the gross output in 2005 was $8.5 billion, representing a decrease of 11.8% from a year earlier.
In 2005, the gross operating surplus of these establishments taken together increased by 44.1% from a year earlier to $0.9 billion. The proportion of gross operating surplus in gross output was 11.0%, higher than that of 6.7% in 2004.
In 2005, the value added of these establishments taken together was $5.8 billion, representing a decrease of 2.3% from a year earlier.
The attached table shows the summary results of the survey.
The survey was conducted from January to October 2006. More detailed survey results will be given in the "Report on 2005 Annual Survey of Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors". Users can download this survey report (in PDF format) free of charge at the "Statistical Bookstore, Hong Kong" (www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk) of C&SD as from early January 2007. Details on the release of the survey report will be announced later.
For enquiries about the survey results, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD at telephone 2882 4684 or email building@censtatd.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, November 30, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:17
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