Employment in the construction industry has gone down by 4.1 per cent, and wages and salaries up by 0.4 per cent.

The hours worked declined by four per cent when compared to the fourth quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said.

The NSO said that on the other hand, employment in civil engineering increased by 15.3 per cent.

During the period under review, wages and salaries edged up by 0.4 per cent, resulting from increases of 0.8 and 18.1 per cent in wages and salaries paid in the construction of buildings and in civil engineering respectively.

This increase was partially mitigated by a 4.8 per cent drop in wages and salaries paid in respect of specialised construction activities.

During the fourth quarter, hours worked decreased by four per cent. Hours worked in the construction of buildings sector remained stable. Civil engineering went up by 17 per cent, while a decline of 15.6 per cent in hours worked was registered in specialised construction activities.

During the fourth quarter, the number of units for which new permits were granted dropped by 17.6 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

This was reflected in a 23.7 per cent decline in permits for two dwellings and a decrease of 34.3 per cent in permits for other residential buildings.

On the other hand, new permits for one dwellings increased by 16.4 on account of an increase in maisonettes and terraced houses of 17.1 and 65.7 per cent, respectively.