Construction

During the first three quarters of 2011, the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) construction industry has pressed on with scheduled mixed-use development projects.

South Africa’s construction sector appears to have been one of the big winners from the recently-released budget plan, following the ministry of finance’s announcement of a massive increase in spending on infrastructure and housing, although the industry will still need to overcome shortages of both human resources and materials as well as concerns over the government’s timely execution of capital projects.

As Mongolia marks 85 years since its building sector was formally established, intensive demand for private and public construction is creating jobs and furthering the need in the residential segment, while domestic involvement in foreign-led mining projects is adding to the overall demand in the sector.

Brunei Darussalam’s construction sector is set to benefit from a number of new infrastructure projects coming off the drawing board in the next year, two of which will have particular significance for the Sultanate’s domestic economy and integration with its neighbours.

Thailand’s construction sector looks set for an increasingly busy time leading into next year, with the new government committed to ramping up infrastructure and housing projects, though the industry is still wary that rising materials costs and higher wages could weaken growth.

Abu Dhabi’s construction industry is shifting its focus from residential and commercial development, which has long dominated the trade, to a rising number of infrastructure projects. However, supply pipeline bottlenecks could cause costs to rise and delay the rollout of some plans.