Construction industry generated R$ 288.0 billion in value of real estate development, works and/or services in 2019, being R$ 273.8 in works and/or services (95.1%) and R$ 14.2 billion in real estate development (4.9%). Between 2010 and 2019, the Annual Survey of Construction Industry (PAIC) showed reduction of the share of Infrastructure works in value added by the sector: from 44.1% to 32.2%. Construction of buildings advanced from 39.1% to 44.2% in the period and took the first position in the ranking, but Specialized services recorded the biggest increase: from 16.8% to 23.6%.

Construction industry had 125.1 thousand active companies in 2019. There was a slight increase (by 481 companies) against 2018, the first since 2015. From 2010, the number of companies in the sector increased by 61.4%.

In 2019, 1.9 million persons were employed in industry, with an increase of 1.7% (32.5 thousand workers) against 2018, first positive result since 2014. However, from 2010 to 2019, the sector lost 22.5% of its job posts (554.1 thousand workers). In the ten-year period analyzed, the peak of employment was in 2013, with 2.968 million workers. From 2013 to 2019, the loss of job posts reached 35.9% (1.1 million less).

In 2019, most of (35.3%) the workers in Construction were employed in Specialized construction works. Their participation was of 25.3% in 2010, the smallest among the three activities in the sector.

Construction companies paid R$ 56.8 billion in salaries, withdrawals and other compensation in 2019, most of it (35.9%) in the segment of Infrastructure works. From 2010 to 2019, the average monthly wage of Construction industry went from 2.6 to 2.3 minimum wages. The only segment that recorded decrease was Infrastructure Works: from 3.5 to 2.8 minimum wages.

In 2010, the eight biggest companies in Construction industry held 11.1% of the value of real estate development, works and/or services, a share that fell to 5.1% in 2019. The biggest decrease was in the segment of Infrastructure works: in 2010, the eight biggest companies accounted for 25.2% of the value of real estate development, versus 11.9% in 2019.

Between 2010 and 2019, the number of persons employed in Construction companies fell from 32, in 2010, to 15, in 2019. The average fell in all the segments, mainly Infrastructure works, which recorded a decrease from 81 to 43.

In the period analyzed, the public sector participation in construction industry fell by 11.1 p.p., with a change from 41.4% in 2010 to 30.3% in 2019. In Infrastructure Works, there was an 8.4% decrease, 8.4 p.p., from 59.7% to 51.3%.

In 2019, the private sector hired 69.7% of the value of construction Works and/or services. The main distance separating public and private participation was observed in Specialized construction works (82.1% private versus 17.9% public), followed by Construction of buildings, with 79.5% of the value of works contracted by the private sector and 20.5% by the public sector, in 2019.

Among the three segments of the sector, building construction has led the ranking since 2012

The three sectors of construction industry contribute, in 2019, with the following amounts in value of real estate development, construction works and/or services: Building construction (R$ 127.3 billion), Infrastructure works (R$ 92.8 billion) and Specialized construction services (R$ 67.9 billion).

From 2010 to 2019, among the main structural changes observed is the loss of space of Infrastructure works, whose participation went from 44.1%, in 2010, to 32.2%, in 2019. This loss of relevance started on 2012 and was compensated by the advance of the Building construction segments, which took the leadership, with 44.2% of the value of real estate development, construction works and/or services in 2019. Specialized construction services was in the third position, but it had more gain in participation throughout the decade: 6.8 p.p more, with a change from 16.8% to 23.6%.

Participation of the Public sector in Construction fell 11.1 p.p, from 42.4% in 2010 to 30.3% in 2019. The segment of Infrastructure works, which always counted on the significant participation of the Public sector, recorded the steepest decrease, 8.4 p.p, with a change from 59.7% to 51.3% in the period. Participation of the Building construction segment fell from 26.9% to 20.5%, whereas Specialized construction services fell 6.5 p.p, from 24.4% to 17.9%.

Between 2010 and 2019,construction industry lost more than 20% of its job posts

Construction companies employed a total of 1,903,75 persons in the end of 2019, a figure about 22.5% below that in 2010 (2,457,809). In this period, the sector lost about 554.1 thousand job posts.

The peak of occupation in the sector took place in 2013, with about 2.968 million workers. From then up to 2019, the loss of job posts reached 35.9% (1.1 million less). Since 2010, the most significant decreases were those in Building construction (33.5%, or 334,422 job posts) and Infrastructure works (32.3% or 269,720 job posts).

In Specialized construction services, employment increased by 8.0%, with a change from 622,726 thousand to 672,774 thousand il vacancies, from 2010 to 2019.

Specialized construction services take the leadership in employment

Between 2018 and 2019, construction industry received 32,472 job posts, first increase since 2014. That took place in Specialized construction services (9.5%, or 58,489 job posts) and Infrastructure works (3.1% or 17,226 job posts). Building construction recorded a decrease, with -6.1%, or 43,243 vacancies.

In 10 years, Specialized construction services became the activity accounting for the biggest percentage (35.3%) of the population employed in construction industry, followed by Building construction (34.9%) and Infrastructure works (29.8%).

Average compensation for infrastructure works fell from 3.5 to 2.8 minimum wages

From 2010 to 2019, the average compensation paid by Construction industry ranged from 2.7 to 2.3 minimum wages. The segment of Infrastructure works recorded the highest average pay, and, also, the biggest salary variation, between 3.7 and 2.8 minimum wages per month, in the period of ten years analyzed.

Building construction and Specialized construction services paid, on the average, 2.1 minimum wages in 2019 and had smaller changes throughout the period analyzed (respectively, from 2.1 to 2.4 and from 2.0 to 2.3 minimum wages).

Since 2015, more than 6 thousand have closed

The number of companies in the construction sector changed from 77,509 in 2010 to 125,067 in 2019. The time series peak was in 2015 (131,318 companies) and from that year up to 2019, there was a decrease of 4.8% (or 6.3 thousand enterprises).

From 2015 to 2019, there were decreases in the number of companies in Building construction (by -3.7% or 1.9 thousand companies) and Specialized services (by -8.1% or 5,5 thousand companies), whereas the segment of Infrastructure works recorded an increase of 10.1%, or about 1.2 thousand companies.

Between 2018 and 2019, Construction industry received 481 companies, an increase of 0.4%, for the first time since 2015. As for the analyzed segments, Specialized construction services was the only one to recorded decrease (-2.8%, or 1,794 companies). Both Building construction (4.3%, or 2,052 companies) and Infrastructure works (1.7%, or 223 companies) recorded increase.

From 2010 to 2019, Construction industry has shown deconcentration

In 2010, the eight biggest construction companies held 11.1% of the value of real estate development, construction works and/or services. Participation fell 6.0 p.p., and reached 5.1% in 2019.

The trend to deconcentration has been ongoing in PAIC and was most significant in Infrastructure works, an activity in which the eight companies held 25.2% of the value of real estate development in 2010, versus 11.9% in 2019, with a decrease of 13.3 p.p. in the period.

In the Building construction sector, reduction of the R8 indicator was lower, of only 1.7 p.p., with the eight companies having concentrated 7.2% of the value generated by construction in 2019. In terms of Specialized construction services, concentration remained relatively leveled off, with an increase of 1.0 p.p. in the ten-year period analyzed, having reached 7.5% in 2019.

Expenditure on personnel represents 31.1% of the overall in construction industry

Personnel represented the main type of expenditure in construction activity, both in 2010 and in 2019, having increased by 1.4 p.p. in the sector, from 29.7% to 31.1%, in the period. The shares of construction material (21.2%) and outsourced works and services (9.2%) followed it. In Building construction, expenditure with construction material led ranking, with 28.0%.

South Region recorded biggest increases, having surpassed the Northeast

In the analysis of companies with employed persons, between 2010 and 2019, the Southeast remained in the leadership (49.6%) in terms of participation in real estate development, construction works and/or services. Nevertheless, there was a relevant structural change: the South Region (18.0%) surpassed the Northeast (17.5%) and went to the second position in the ranking, while the Central West (8.9%) and the North (6.0%) remained in the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

The sector shows progressive regional deconcentration, with reduced participation by the Southeast, Northeast, North and Central West, whose participation increased by 5.5 p.p. in the ten-year period analyzed.

The Southeast employed 49.3% of the workers in construction in 2019. In 10 years, the Northeast was the Major Region that recorded the most significant decrease in workforce (3.0 p.p.), from 22.7% to 19.7%, following the movement of decrease in participation, having changed from 7.0% to 5.6%. The South recorded the biggest increase (3.9 p.p.) between 2010 and 2019, with its participation in employment from 13.4% to 17.3%, whereas the Central west remained almost unchanged at 8.3%, in 2010, and 8.1%, in 2019.