March key figures
| Mar Qtr 20 | Dec Qtr 19 to Mar Qtr 20 | Mar Qtr 19 to Mar Qtr 20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $m | % change | % change | ||
| Trend estimates(a) | ||||
| Value of work done | ||||
| For the private sector | 12 125.3 | -1.5 | -8.4 | |
| For the public sector(b) | 8 659.2 | 0.3 | 3.3 | |
| Total engineering construction | 20 789.5 | -0.8 | -3.9 | |
| Seasonally adjusted estimates(a) | ||||
| Value of work done | ||||
| For the private sector | 12 256.0 | 0.8 | -6.5 | |
| For the public sector(b) | 8 582.7 | -1.2 | 2.5 | |
| Total engineering construction | 20 838.7 | - | -3.0 | |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
a. Reference year for chain volume measures is 2017-18.
b. Includes work done by the private sector for the public sector and work done by the public sector.
March key points
Value of work done, chain volume measures
Total
- The trend estimate for the value of total engineering construction work done fell 0.8% in the March quarter.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of total engineering construction work done was flat in the March quarter at $20,838.7m.
Private sector
- The trend estimate for the value of work done for the private sector fell 1.5% in the March quarter.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of work done for the private sector rose 0.8% in the March quarter to $12,256.0m.
Public sector
- The trend estimate for the value of work done for the public sector rose 0.3% in the March quarter.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of work done for the public sector fell 1.2% in the March quarter to $8,582.7m.
Value of work commenced, current prices
- The value of work commenced in the March quarter was $23,448.4m in original terms, a increase of 31.3% from the December quarter.
About this issue
This publication updates the preliminary estimates released in Construction Work Done, Australia (cat. no. 8755.0) on 27 May 2020.
Data note
This release includes revisions to Engineering Construction data back to September 2017.
Several time series spreadsheets for recent quarters contain 'np' (not available for publication) annotations. This is due to confidential data being contained in these series.
Trend estimates should be used with caution due to the volatility caused by large engineering projects. For more details on trend estimates, please see paragraphs 22 to 24 of the Explanatory notes in the Methodology.
Mining projects tend to be complex in structure and comprise a number of different investment activities including exploration, engineering construction, plant and equipment and buildings. A feature article released in the March 2012 issue of Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia (cat. no. 5625.0) provides a summary of the conceptual basis of the relevant ABS publications that measure investment in Australia, using a hypothetical mining project to illustrate how this investment is reflected in ABS data.
Managing the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on engineering construction statistics
The ABS is currently monitoring for potential impacts from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on engineering construction statistics and will continue to do so for the period of the pandemic.
Quality assurance of March quarter data did not identify any impact to headline statistics. The designation of construction as an essential service enabled activity to progress despite social distancing restrictions implemented from late March.
The ABS is actively managing the potential risks from COVID-19 to data collection operations. The ABS appreciates the support of survey respondents in continuing to provide the data to compile this publication.
Inquiries
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