Throughout the 1980s, the construction subsector grew at an average annual rate of 1.1 percent, surging by 24 percent in 1989. Vigorous growth continued the following year at a rate of 15 percent, reflecting a big increase in private demand for new construction. Several sources estimate the construction subsector's contribution to the gross national product (GNP--see Glossary) at about 5 percent throughout the decade. According to one estimate, the construction subsector employed more than one-fourth of all industrial workers in 1986.

Data as of July 1994