Construction output in June declined by 4.4% in real terms and it is the first decline since last year’s April. A reduction in the number of jobs in this sector contributed to the worse results. After adjusting for this influence, construction declined by 3.0%. Also, the high base rate from June 2006 - when construction added 10% - played its part. Besides this, construction has had to fight to make up for a lack of qualified skilled workers, which has also put pressure on wages. The hourly wage rate in construction increased by 9.0% y/y while productivity for one hour of work rose only by 2.7%.