Australia Construction Work Done QoQ
A quarterly ABS measure of the real value of building and engineering construction completed in Australia.
Full explanation
Australia Construction Work Done QoQ measures the quarterly change in the inflation-adjusted value of construction activity completed across Australia. It covers total building and engineering work done, with building activity including residential and non-residential work. The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes preliminary quarterly estimates, drawing on its building activity and engineering construction surveys, so later releases can revise the figures.
Why traders watch it
Construction is a meaningful component of Australian economic activity and can provide an early read on investment and the construction sector before broader GDP data. Surprises may affect expectations for growth, interest rates and the Australian dollar.
Market interpretation
- AUD pairs
- Unexpected changes can influence perceptions of Australian growth and the policy outlook.
- Australian interest-rate markets
- The result can contribute to changing expectations for growth, inflation pressures and future Reserve Bank policy.
- Australian equity sectors
- Construction, building-materials and infrastructure-related companies may be sensitive to details on building and engineering activity.
Stronger vs weaker outcomes
A stronger-than-expected quarterly rise may be read as a sign of firmer construction activity and could support broader growth expectations. A weaker-than-expected result may be read as evidence of softer activity, though the market response can depend on other data and the release details.
A higher-than-expected quarterly increase can suggest stronger completed construction activity and may add to firmer growth expectations.
A lower-than-expected result can suggest softer construction activity and may reduce confidence in this part of the growth outlook.
Markets often compare the quarterly change with expectations and then examine whether building or engineering construction drove the result.
Typical volatility
Moderate. This is a preliminary estimate and is subject to revision. Quarterly results can be volatile, and the headline total can be driven by movements in either building or engineering work.
Trading considerations
- Check whether the result is seasonally adjusted and expressed in chain-volume terms.
- Separate the total result into building and engineering work, as they can point to different underlying drivers.
- Note that the first estimate is preliminary and subsequent ABS releases can revise it.
- Consider it alongside other Australian activity data and the upcoming quarterly GDP release.
- Allow for potentially wider spreads and faster price moves around important Australian data releases.
Educational guidance only — never a trading signal or recommendation.
Related indicators
15-Year Mortgage Rate
A weekly Freddie Mac measure of average U.S. 15-year fixed-rate mortgage borrowing costs.
Absa Manufacturing PMI
A monthly survey indicator tracking whether South African manufacturing conditions are improving or weakening.
ADP Employment Change
ADP Employment Change is a private estimate of changes in U.S. private-sector jobs based on payroll data from ADP.
Ai Group Australian Industry Index
A monthly survey-based gauge of whether activity in Australian industrial sectors is expanding or contracting.
Albania Balance of Trade
Albania Balance of Trade measures the difference between the value of Albania’s goods exports and goods imports.
Albania Harmonised Inflation Rate YoY
A monthly measure of Albania’s consumer-price inflation compared with the same month a year earlier, based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.