Within civil engineering works, the largest sector of the industry, motorway and road building campaigns once again fueled growth. However, building construction also increased at the same rate, continuing the trend from July, after this segment lagged well behind civil engineering works in the first half of the year.
Order data indicate that the civil engineering sector depends largely on motorway contracts signed in 2004 for growth, as the volume of new orders was down 26.9% in the first eight months of 2005.
Meanwhile, new orders for buildings were up nearly 32% in August and 23.5% in January–August, as a result of several high-value contracts for university campuses, condos and hotels.
Construction companies based in the central Hungary region, accounting for more than 50% of all output, recorded growth of 19% in the first eight months. This month, central Hungary was outpaced slightly by the northern Plains region, with growth of 20%, while other regions also picked up somewhat after months of stagnation.
