In 2015, enterprises in this sector carried out real estate development, construction works and/or services valued at R$354.4 billion, representing a retraction (-16.5%), in real terms, over 2014. The net operating revenue (R$323.9 billion) also declined in real terms (-18.7%). In this same type of comparison, all the sectors in the construction industry recorded negative changes in the value added.

Posting a share of 46.7% in 2015, the construction of buildings remained as the sector that mostly contributed to the current value (R$165.7 billion) of real estate development, construction works and/or services. In spite of reducing their share between 2014 and 2015, infrastructure works ranked in the second position. Specialized services for construction increased their share.

131.5 thousand active companies employed 2.4 million persons in 2015, about 455 thousand less than in 2014. The share of expenditure with employed persons was 33.3% of the costs and expenses of these companies, slightly higher than in 2014 (32.8%). The average monthly wage retreated 1.4% in real terms, changing from R$1,970.05 in 2014 to R$1,943.43 in 2015.

Among the Major Regions, the South Region registered an increase in the share of employed persons (from 13.9% in 2014 to 15.1% in 2015), as well as in the value of real estate development, construction works and/or services (from 12.8% to 14.5%).

This is part of the information included in the 25th edition of the Annual Survey of Construction Industry - PAIC, which describes the construction business segment, providing the public and private organisms with subsidies for planning and the users, in general, with statistical information for sectoral studies. The complete publication can be found aqui.

Table 1 - General data of the construction industry - Brazil - 2014-2015

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Indústria, Pesquisa Anual da Indústria da Construção 2014-2015.

Constructions hired by public entities lose share between 2014 and 2015

The current value of construction works and/or services hit R$337.9 billion in 2015, R$ 103.5 billion of which came from construction works hired by public entities, which represented 30.6% of the total number of constructions, a share lower than that reported in 2014 (33.9%).

The net operating revenue reached the value of R$323.9 billion, retreating 18.7%, in real terms, in relation to 2014.

Year marked by retraction in formal labor market of construction industry

The universe of enterprises in the construction industry added up to 131.5 thousand active companies in 2015. That year was marked by the fast retraction in the formal labor market of the construction industry, as the number of employed persons changed from 2.9 million to 2.4 million. The expenditure with employed persons accounted for 33.3% of the total costs and expenses of these companies, a result higher than that in 2014 (32.8%). The average monthly wage retreated 1.4% in real terms, changing from R$1,970.05 in 2014 to R$1,943.43 in 2015.

This decline reflected the deceleration of the economic activity in Brazil, represented by the change of -3.8% in the quarterly GDP in 2015 over 2014, the biggest retraction in the time series started in 1996. In terms of the domestic demand, it was revealed by the loss in the consumption of households, which dropped -3.9% in relation to 2014. Furthermore, the increase in the interest rate (Selic) and the reduction in the volume of credit also influenced.

Construction of buildings remains as major share in current value

Posting a share of 46.7% in 2015, the construction of buildings remained as the sector that mostly contributed to the current value (R$165.7 billion) of real estate development, construction works and/or services. Having recorded 33.9% in 2015, the segment of infrastructure works (R$119.9 billion) ranked in the second position in terms of share, in spite of losing share in relation to 2014 (38.3%). On its turn, the sector of specialized services for construction (R$68.7 billion) gained share, changing from 17.9% in 2014 to 19.4% in 2015.

Construction works and/or services lost share, though remaining ahead in terms of gross revenue.

Among the items of the gross revenue, construction works and/or services carried out by construction companies represented the key part in the revenue of this sector, adding up to R$329.3 billion in 2015, which corresponded to 93.3% of the total against 94.4% reported in 2014. Having registered R$16.4 billion, the revenue coming from the development of real estate built by other companies ranked in the second position, accounting for 4.6% of the total gross revenue in 2015, against 3.1% of the total reported in 2014.

Expenditure with personnel corresponds to one third of costs and expenses of construction industry

Having recorded a share of 33.3% in 2015, expenditure with personnel stands out the most in the structure of costs and expenses of the construction industry, a percentage higher than that reported in 2014 (32.8%). The consumption of construction material posted 22.4% in 2015, a proportion lower than that reported in 2014 (24.7%).

Todos os setores de atividade tiveram variação negativa do valor adicionado entre 2014 e 2015

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Indústria, Pesquisa Anual da Indústria da Construção 2014-2015.
Note: Value added and absolute change in 1000 R$.

As shown in Table 4, all the sectors in the construction activity recorded a nominal negative change in the value added. Having posted 45.1% of the total in 2015, construction of buildings was the division that mostly contributed to the value added of the construction activity, followed in percentage terms by infrastructure works (31.1%) and, lastly, by specialized services for construction (23.8%).

South Region, the highest growth of share in current value between 2014 and 2015

Although the Southeast remained leading the regional share in the value of real estate development, construction works and/or services, it dropped from 52.3% to 50.9% between 2014 and 2015. The North and Central-West registered negative changes in this comparison (from 6.9% to 6.8% and from 9.3% to 8.9%, respectively). The South Region grew from 12.8% in 2014 to 14.5% in 2015. The Northeast recorded a slight positive change (from 18.7% to 18.9%).

Between 2014 and 2015, the total value of real estate development, construction works and/or services post a real drop (-21.7%) for companies with 30 and more employed persons

The analysis of the construction products carried out by companies with 30 and more employed persons – certainty stratum of the survey – pointed out that the total value of real estate development, construction works and/or services was R$271.1 billion in 2015, representing a drop of 21.7% in relation to 2014, taking inflation into account.

As the group with the biggest weight in construction, infrastructure works reduced its value from R$138.9 billion in 2014 to R$106.9 billion in 2015, as well as its share in real estate development, construction works and services from 43.1% to 39.5%. Infrastructure works were influenced by direct disbursements of the Brazilian Development Bank - BNDES, which reduced 20.4% in nominal terms, changing from R$69.0 billion in 2014 to R$54.9 billion in 2015.