PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s construction sector sustained its momentum in the third quarter of 2024, with
the value of work done reaching RM41.1 billion, a substantial growth of 22.9%, an improvement from the 20.2% recorded in the previous quarter.
Chief Statistician Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said, “This growth momentum was primarily driven by a 42.6% expansion in the special trade activities sub-sector, which continues to demonstrate accelerated growth. Additionally, the residential buildings and non-residential buildings sub-sectors both gained the momentum by expanding 27.8% and 27.7% respectively.”
The civil engineering sub-sector expanded at a more moderate pace, with a 12% growth rate.
“Of the RM41.1 billion in work done value recorded in the third quarter of 2024, RM15.2 billion or 36.9% was attributed to the civil engineering sub-sector, primarily in the construction of roads and railways (RM6.8 billion) and utility projects (RM6.2 billion),” Mohd Uzir said, adding that the value of work done for non-residential buildings and residential buildings was RM11.8 billion (28.6%) and RM9.4 billion (22.8%), respectively.
Special trade activities made up to RM4.8 billion (11.6%), largely in site preparation (RM1.3 billion); electrical installation (RM1.2 billion); and plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation (RM1 billion).
The private sector remained the main impetus to the growth in the quarter, contributing RM26.1 billion or 63.5% of the total value. The private sector soared with a 33.3% growth (Q2 2024: 15.8%), propelled by strong performance in the civil engineering (54.9%) and the special trade activities (42.7%) sub-sectors. In contrast, the public sector, with a 36.5% share valued at RM15 billion, recorded more moderate growth of 8.1% (Q2 2024: 27.8%). The growth was fuelled by special trade activities (42.2%) and non-residential buildings (36.6%) sub-sectors, contributing RM1.4 billion and RM2.5 billion, respectively.
Mohd Uzir said, “Nearly 61.4% of the work done value was concentrated in Selangor, Johor, Wilayah Persekutuan (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan) and Sarawak. The construction work done value in Selangor amounted to RM9.3 billion or 22.7%, driven by civil engineering (RM2.8 billion), and both residential buildings and non-residential buildings at RM2.7 billion. Meanwhile, Johor ranked second with a value of RM6.9 billion or 16.9%, primarily in non-residential buildings (RM2.6 billion) and civil engineering (RM2.2 billion) sub-sectors. In addition, the work done value in Wilayah Persekutuan was RM4.6 billion (11.3%) while Sarawak recorded RM4.3 billion (10.5%).”
Construction work done for the first three quarters of 2024 registered a total value of RM116.8 billion, reflecting a 19.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023 (Q1 to Q3 2023: 9%). The growth was driven largely by a strong contribution from civil engineering activities, which expanded by 20.3%.
