KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Although the value of construction work done shrank 10.5 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM31.4 billion in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1 2021), this was an improvement from the y-o-y contraction of 14.2 per cent in Q4 2020, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

In a statement today, DoSM said the private sector continued to drive construction activity with a 55.2 per cent share or RM17.3 billion of the total value of construction work done, while the public sector has a 44.8 per cent share at RM14.0 billion.

Commenting on the Q1 2021 performance, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the special trades activities sub-sector registered a growth of 38.0 per cent quarter-on-quarter from 29.3 per cent in Q4 2020.

Meanwhile, he said three sub-sectors, namely residential buildings, non-residential buildings and civil engineering each showed an improvement compared with Q4 2020.

In Q1 2021, the value of construction work done in residential buildings improved to -4.2 per cent from -10.9 per cent in Q4 2020, non-residential buildings increased to -5.3 per cent versus -6.3 per cent in Q4 2020, and civil engineering climbed to -22.3 per cent against -25 per cent in Q4 2020.

According to the DoSM, the value of construction work done has been dominated by civil engineering sub-sector since Q4 2015, which contributed 39 per cent of the total value.

"This is followed by non-residential buildings (27.4 per cent), residential buildings (25.8 per cent) and special trades activities (7.7 per cent),” it said. — Bernama