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According to the results of the 2012 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 $250.0 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 13.5% over 2011; on a per establishment basis, total receipts increased by 19.1% compared with 2011 to $11.2 million in 2012.
Operating expenses and compensation of employees of the construction sector altogether amounted to $236.7 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 16.2% over 2011; on a per establishment basis, they increased by 22.0% compared with 2011 to $10.6 million in 2012.
Gross surplus of the construction sector, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses and compensation of employees, decreased by 20.3% over 2011 to $13.3 billion in 2012; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus decreased from $0.71 million in 2011 to $0.60 million in 2012. Gross surplus accounted for 5.3% of total receipts in 2012, down by 2.3 percentage points over 2011.
Value added of the construction sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, increased by 13.0% over 2011 to $73.9 billion in 2012; on a per establishment basis, the value added was $3.3 million in 2012, representing an increase of 18.6% over 2011.
In 2012, there were some 22 300 establishments in the construction sector, which directly engaged about 184 600 persons, or an average of 8.3 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 $187.3 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 10.5% compared with 2011. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $71.5 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 11.3% over 2011. Gross surplus increased by 9.4% compared with 2011 to $112.1 billion in 2012. Gross surplus accounted for 59.9% of total receipts in 2012, down by 0.5 of a percentage point compared with 2011. Value added increased by 12.1% compared with 2011 to $132.7 billion in 2012.
In 2012, the real estate activities comprised some 7 100 establishments and engaged about 118 300 persons, or an average of 16.8 persons per establishment.
The total number of private building projects ever operated in 2012 was 241. As at end 2012, 183 projects, which were expected to provide a total 5.3 million square metres gross floor area of buildings when completed, were still under construction. Among them, 17% were on Hong Kong Island, 22% in Kowloon and 61% 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 $20.2 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 12.5% compared with 2011. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $17.3 billion in 2012, representing an increase of 8.1% over 2011. Gross surplus increased by 49.0% compared with 2011 to $2.9 billion in 2012. Gross surplus accounted for 14.4% of total receipts in 2012, up by 3.5 percentage points compared with 2011. Value added increased by 10.8% compared with 2011 to $13.0 billion in 2012.
In 2012, the architectural, surveying and engineering services comprised some 1 900 establishments and engaged about 25 300 persons, or an average of 13.6 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 2012". Users can download this report (in PDF format) free of charge at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp330.jsp?productCode=B1080011) as from end-December 2013.
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 2882 4684 or e-mail building@censtatd.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, November 28, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:30
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