Our figure of the month 09/2017: Continuous increase in backlog in construction

31.08.2017

Full order books, increasing turnovers and optimistic business prospects: Current state of the construction industry appears to be highly favorable. However, there is a trend suggesting that supply and demand are increasingly deviating from each other. For years total backlog in construction has been increasing continuously. The measure describes the number of flats that received a building permit but could not be completed. Having a value of roughly 330,000 in 2010, total backlog in construction reached over 600,000 in 2016, resulting in an 80% increase.

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An indication of a difficult expansion of supply yields the stock of apprentices in the construction sector. Here numbers are declining steadily during the period under consideration. With under 55,000 apprentices in 2016 the stock is roughly 21% smaller than 2010.

Other figures can be found here.

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