Activity levels in the South Australian construction sector showed some improvement in the first quarter of 2017. Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today indicates that the value of construction work done, measured in trend terms, rose by 2.2 per cent in the March quarter of 2017. However, construction activity remains below its level reached over recent years, which is consistent with national patterns. The value of work down in the March quarter was down 1.2 per cent compared to a year earlier, and 16 per cent below its previous peak recorded in the September quarter 2013.

The quarterly rise in construction activity for South Australia in the March quarter 2017 was actually the strongest performance of any state or territory. The value of construction work done for Australia as a whole fell by 0.6 per cent in the March quarter 2017 to be down 6.8 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. The national result is largely a consequence of much weaker construction activity in Western Australia.