Icon: enlarge
Only feeling the effects of the crisis to a limited extent: the construction industry
Photo: A2800 epa Michael Reynolds / dpa
The construction industry achieved record sales in 2020.
Compared to the previous year, the companies increased their revenues by 6.6 percent to 98.3 billion euros.
Construction companies were also able to continue hiring: The number of employees increased by 18,000 to a total of 505,000.
This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office.
The Wiesbaden authority records the figures from 9100 companies that have at least 20 employees.
Not all areas are growing equally
Not all areas contributed equally to the growth: residential construction was primarily responsible for the high turnover.
There was an increase of 7.6 percent in 2020.
In commercial construction, on the other hand, there were slumps, 4.8 percent less was built than in the previous year, probably also a consequence of the uncertainty of many companies in view of the ongoing corona pandemic.
Fewer orders, more sales
2020 was the sixth year in a row that sales in the main construction industry increased.
This succeeded even though orders fell: The increase in sales succeeded even though the industry as a whole recorded 2.6 percent fewer new orders in real terms than in the previous year.
In nominal terms, however, the order volume was 0.5 percent above the previous year's level.
The main construction trade includes the construction of buildings (structural engineering) as well as roads, railways and lines (civil engineering).
Icon: The mirror
jlk / dpa / rtrs