In building construction, 25.3 percent of companies were still suffering from supply bottlenecks in January.
(Photo: imago images/Lichtgut)
Berlin The shortage of building materials in Germany eased at the beginning of the year. In building construction, 25.3 percent of companies were still suffering from supply bottlenecks in January, after 31.3 percent in December, as the Munich Ifo Institute found out in its company survey published on Wednesday.
The situation also eased somewhat in civil engineering: 20.4 percent of companies complained about delivery bottlenecks; in December the proportion was still 23.1 percent. The global upturn after the Corona recession in 2020 and the construction boom – for example in the world’s two largest economies, the USA and China – are considered to be the reasons for the shortage.
Despite the slight relaxation, the material remains a cost driver in construction. “We also see this in the building materials wholesale trade: rising sales prices were reported across the board in January,” said Ifo researcher Felix Leiss.
In building construction in particular, the companies themselves would have had to raise their prices as a result of the rising material costs. “Further adjustments were planned in many places for the coming months,” Leiss continued. The Berlin DIW assumes that construction prices will increase in double digits this year, after an increase of 8.5 percent in 2021.
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A lack of skilled workers was also mentioned somewhat less frequently. Nevertheless, vacancies in many places could not be filled quickly. “The order books are bulging, but every third construction company cannot find enough skilled workers,” said Leiss.
Skilled labor shortage is decreasing
The shortage of skilled workers decreased slightly in both building construction and civil engineering: 34.4 percent of civil engineering companies reported a lack of suitable applicants, slightly less than in December with 37.1 percent.
The Berlin DIW assumes that construction prices will increase in double digits this year, after an increase of 8.5 percent in 2021.
(Photo: dpa)
In building construction, 31.8 percent of companies are currently affected, a drop of 5.6 points compared to the previous month. However, the value has increased by 15.5 percentage points within a year, according to the Ifo Institute.
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