The latest Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) shows a marginal year-on-year increase of 0.3%.
The first-quarter index was boosted by year-on-year increases of more than 5% in the value of both construction works and buildings completed, with employment and sales of building materials also improving.
The ACI is a composite index of activity levels in the building and construction sectors, and is compiled by economist Dr Roelof Botha on behalf of mining and materials group Afrimat.
The index value is expressed in real terms – in other words, after adjusting for the effect of inflation.
Botha notes that although activity levels in South Africa’s construction sector remain subdued, the ACI’s seasonally adjusted reading has increased for the third consecutive quarter – the first time this has occurred since the brief recession of 2020.
