According to the results of the 2015 Annual Survey of Economic Activities - Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors released today (November 28) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the construction sector's total receipts (comprising gross value of construction works performed and other business receipts) amounted to $364.5 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 11.3% over 2014; on a per establishment basis, total receipts increased by 18.6% compared with 2014 to $15.6 million in 2015.

     Operating expenses and compensation of employees of the construction sector altogether amounted to $334.0 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 10.1% over 2014; on a per establishment basis, they increased by 17.3% compared with 2014 to $14.3 million in 2015.

     Gross surplus of the construction sector, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses and compensation of employees, increased by 27.2% over 2014 to $30.5 billion in 2015; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus increased from $0.96 million in 2014 to $1.31 million in 2015. Gross surplus accounted for 8.4% of total receipts in 2015, up by 1.0 percentage point over 2014.

     Value added of the construction sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, increased by 12.3% over 2014 to $108.8 billion in 2015; on a per establishment basis, the value added was $4.7 million in 2015, representing an increase of 19.6% over 2014.

     In 2015, there were some 23 300 establishments in the construction sector, which directly engaged about 199 900 persons, or an average of 8.6 persons per establishment.

     The survey did not cover labour-only sub-contractors that mainly supplied labour to work on a job-to-job basis, owing to practical consideration in data collection. The employment figures above mainly covered direct employees of the construction establishments and did not reflect the labour input through the sub-contracting activities of labour-only sub-contractors.

     Apart from the construction sector, the survey also enumerated establishments engaged in real estate activities; and architectural, surveying and engineering services.

     Total receipts (comprising gross margin of real estate development projects, service and rental income and other business receipts) of establishments engaged in the real estate activities (including real estate development, real estate leasing, real estate brokerage and agency and real estate maintenance management) amounted to $183.1 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 2.9% compared with 2014. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $79.6 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 9.6% compared with 2014. Gross surplus decreased by 3.1% compared with 2014 to $98.0 billion in 2015. Gross surplus accounted for 53.5% of total receipts in 2015, down by 3.3 percentage points compared with 2014. Value added edged up by 0.1% compared with 2014 to $126.6 billion in 2015.

     In 2015, the real estate activities comprised 7 400 establishments and engaged about 110 250 persons, or an average of 14.9 persons per establishment.

     The total number of private real estate projects ever operated in 2015 was 300. As at end 2015, 235 projects, which were expected to provide a total 6.7 million square metres of gross floor area of buildings when completed, were still under construction. Among them, 19% were on Hong Kong Island, 33% in Kowloon and 47% in the New Territories and outlying islands.

     The survey excluded establishments which developed real estate projects for their own use as well as those which owned land but had not developed it during the reference year. Real estate leasing and other related activities undertaken by individuals or firms which engaged less than two persons (except for subsidiaries of real estate enterprises) were also not covered in the survey.

     Total receipts (comprising service income and other business receipts) of establishments engaged in the architectural, surveying and engineering services amounted to $22.2 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 3.3% compared with 2014. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $19.7 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 5.7% over 2014. Gross surplus decreased by 12.5% compared with 2014 to $2.5 billion in 2015. Gross surplus accounted for 11.3% of total receipts in 2015, down by 2.0 percentage points compared with 2014. Value added increased by 4.3% compared with 2014 to $15.5 billion in 2015.

     In 2015, the architectural, surveying and engineering services comprised some 1 800 establishments and engaged about 28 500 persons, or an average of 16.0 persons per establishment.

     Selected statistics for the building, construction and real estate sectors, with breakdowns by industry grouping, are shown in the attached table.

     More detailed survey results on the building, construction and real estate sectors will be given in the report "Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors in 2015". Users can download this report free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp330.jsp?productCode=B1080011) as from end-December 2016.

     For enquiries about the key statistics on business performance and operating characteristics of the building, construction and real estate sectors, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD at telephone 3903 6964 or email building@censtatd.gov.hk.

Ends/Monday, November 28, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:30

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