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According to the results of the 2013 Annual Survey of Economic Activities - Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors released today (November 27) 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 $289.3 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 15.7% over 2012; on a per establishment basis, total receipts increased by 15.7% compared with 2012 to $13.0 million in 2013.
Operating expenses and compensation of employees of the construction sector altogether amounted to $273.4 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 15.5% over 2012; on a per establishment basis, they increased by 15.5% compared with 2012 to $12.3 million in 2013.
Gross surplus of the construction sector, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses and compensation of employees, increased by 19.2% over 2012 to $15.9 billion in 2013; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus increased from $0.60 million in 2012 to $0.71 million in 2013. Gross surplus accounted for 5.5% of total receipts in 2013, up by 0.2 of a percentage point over 2012.
Value added of the construction sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, increased by 13.6% over 2012 to $83.9 billion in 2013; on a per establishment basis, the value added was $3.8 million in 2013, representing an increase of 13.6% over 2012.
In 2013, there were some 22 300 establishments in the construction sector, which directly engaged about 185 800 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 $173.8 billion in 2013, representing a decrease of 7.2% compared with 2012. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $73.3 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 2.4% over 2012. Gross surplus decreased by 13.8% compared with 2012 to $96.6 billion in 2013. Gross surplus accounted for 55.6% of total receipts in 2013, down by 4.3 percentage points compared with 2012. Value added decreased by 8.8% compared with 2012 to $121.0 billion in 2013.
In 2013, the real estate activities comprised some 7 100 establishments and engaged about 110 400 persons, or an average of 15.6 persons per establishment.
The total number of private building projects ever operated in 2013 was 312. As at end 2013, 277 projects, which were expected to provide a total 6.4 million square metres gross floor area of buildings when completed, were still under construction. Among them, 19% were on Hong Kong Island, 26% in Kowloon and 55% 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 $20.7 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 2.4% compared with 2012. Operating expenses and compensation of employees altogether amounted to $17.6 billion in 2013, representing an increase of 1.5% over 2012. Gross surplus increased by 7.9% compared with 2012 to $3.1 billion in 2013. Gross surplus accounted for 15.2% of total receipts in 2013, up by 0.8 of a percentage point compared with 2012. Value added increased by 6.8% compared with 2012 to $13.9 billion in 2013.
In 2013, the architectural, surveying and engineering services comprised some 1 800 establishments and engaged about 27 200 persons, or an average of 14.7 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 2013". 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 2014.
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 email building@censtatd.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, November 27, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:30
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