Plates in construction are growing

Ceske Budejovice - Employee wages in the construction sector of South Bohemia increased last year the fastest in the Czech Republic after the South Moravian Region. Builders in larger companies earned an average of 18,157 crowns, almost ten percent more than two years ago. Thus, they made an additional 1,760 crowns monthly. The nationwide growth was 7.3 percent, while in South Moravia it was 16.3 percent. The data was published by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU).
    Wages in construction in South Bohemia are among the highest, yet they still lag behind the national average by 2,150 crowns. Companies from four regions, including Prague, reward their employees better. Last year, builders from Prague took home almost 9,200 crowns more each month than their colleagues in South Bohemia. Conversely, the lowest wages, despite a four percent increase, were earned by builders from the Karlovy Vary Region, who received an average of 16,232 crowns gross.
    The average wage for construction workers last year was 20,304 crowns. This limit was exceeded only by the South Moravian Region apart from Prague. Although wages for South Bohemian builders increased year-on-year, the number of people in this sector slightly decreased. Construction companies in the region laid off one percent of their employees last year, totaling around 170 people. Thus, 168 companies with more than 20 employees currently employ over 9,360 people.
    The basic production of construction companies with more than 20 people in South Bohemia increased year-on-year by 17.3 percent to 12.1 billion crowns. Only companies from the South Moravian Region had a faster growth rate, with the national average reaching almost ten percent. The best-performing companies were in the Strakonice area, whose production rose by 30 percent compared to last year to 1.1 billion crowns. Their workers also benefited the most, with wages rising by 9.8 percent to 16,351 crowns. The highest, nearly 20,000 crowns, were earned by builders from the Ceske Budejovice area, whereas the lowest, 15,266 crowns, were earned by construction workers from the Jindrichuv Hradec area.
    Companies in the Pisek and Tabor regions built more than last year; in the Jindrichuv Hradec region, the volume approximately corresponds to the year before last. Conversely, there was a decline of more than one-fifth to 532 million in the Prachatice area.
    Wages in construction are expected to rise again this year. Wages will increase by 3.5 percent for those who are members of the Trade Union of Construction of the Czech Republic. This affects 2,200 companies and 250,000 employees. However, this is the lowest negotiated wage increase since 1991. The average wage last year for workers in construction production in member companies of the union reached 18,894 crowns.