European construction output decline continues

According to the latest figures from Eurostat, November last year was the 11th month in a row to register year-on-year falls in construction output in Europe.

Compared with November 2011, output in November 2012 dropped 4.7% in the Eurozone and 5.9% among all member states (EU27).

The largest decreases were registered in Slovenia, where output fell 20.4%, and in Italy and Portugal, where output fell 17.9% in both countries. Slovakia also registered a 13.1% year-on-year drop in construction output in November. The highest increases were recorded in Spain (10.3%) and Sweden (1.5%).

In terms of sectors, output in building construction declined 5.3% in the Eurozone and 6.4% in the EU27, while civil engineering output decreased 3.3% in the Eurozone and 4.3% in the EU27.

Construction output also fell month-on-month in November last year. Output in the Eurozone was down 0.4% in November compared to October 2012, and down 0.9% in the EU27.

The largest month-on-month decreases were registered in Italy (3.4%), UK (2.7%), Poland and Portugal (both 1.5%), while the highest increases were seen in Slovenia (14.9%), Romania (5.1%) and Sweden (2.2%).

Building construction output decreased 0.7% in the Eurozone between October and November last year, and 1.0% in the EU27. In contrast, civil engineering output rose 0.9% month-on-month in the Eurozone and was up 0.1% in the EU27.