The Ai Group Industry Index for Australia’s construction sector rose 9.0 points to -9.9 in May 2026, extending its recent recovery and notching a three-month high. Despite the improvement, conditions remained challenging as uncertainty continued to weigh on the sector. Businesses reported delays in client decision-making, slower project approvals, and subdued customer confidence, leading to the postponement of investment and procurement plans. Construction firms also expressed growing concerns about the outlook, citing project delays, elevated costs, and persistent stock shortages, although new enquiries remained relatively steady. source: Australian Industry Group

Industry Index Construction in Australia increased to -9.90 points in May from -19.30 points in April of 2026. Industry Index Construction in Australia averaged -9.18 points from 2020 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 23.90 points in March of 2021 and a record low of -68.10 points in May of 2024. This page includes a chart with historical data for Australia Ai Group Industry Index - Construction. Australia Ai Group Industry Index - Construction - values, historical data and charts - was last updated on June of 2026.

Industry Index Construction in Australia increased to -9.90 points in May from -19.30 points in April of 2026. Industry Index Construction in Australia is expected to be -14.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Australia Ai Group Industry Index - Construction is projected to trend around -16.00 points in 2027 and -12.00 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-05 11:00 PM
Ai Group Construction Index
Apr -19.3 -57.1 -35
2026-06-02 11:00 PM
Ai Group Construction Index
May -9.9 -18.9 -20
2026-06-30 11:00 PM
Ai Group Construction Index
Jun -9.9 -14


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 1104.00 1102.00 Companies May 2026
Building Capital Expenditure -3.80 2.50 percent Mar 2026
NAB Business Confidence -14.00 -23.00 points May 2026
Business Inventories 0.50 -0.10 percent Mar 2026
Capacity Utilization 75.70 77.70 percent May 2026
Passenger Car Sales 12605.00 11005.00 Units May 2026
Changes in Inventories 675.00 897.00 AUD Million Mar 2026
Composite Leading Indicator 100.85 100.81 points May 2026
Company Gross Profits 132650.00 134455.00 AUD Million Mar 2026
Corruption Index 76.00 77.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 12.00 10.00 Dec 2025
Industrial Production 2.50 2.80 percent Mar 2026
Industrial Production Mom -0.60 1.70 percent Mar 2026
Ai Group Industry Index -26.50 -25.50 points May 2026
Ai Group Services Index -19.60 -24.40 points May 2026
Ai Group Construction Index -9.90 -19.30 points May 2026
Ai Group Manufacturing Index -22.40 -27.90 points May 2026
Westpac Leading Index MoM 0.10 -0.10 percent Apr 2026
Manufacturing Production 3.20 1.10 percent Mar 2026
Mining Production 3.10 4.00 percent Mar 2026
New Orders 35.00 23.00 points Dec 2025
Plant Machinery Capital Expenditure 18.10 -1.30 percent Mar 2026
Private Capital Expenditure 6.50 0.70 percent Mar 2026
Small Business Sentiment -2.00 -8.00 points Sep 2025
New Vehicle Sales 100206.00 92591.00 Units May 2026


Australia Ai Group Industry Index - Construction
The Australian Industry Index is a monthly index that measures changes in activity in Australia’s industrial sectors. It provides diffusion indices which measure rates of changes in the level of industrial activity – expansion, stability or contraction. A positive reading indicates the activity is expanding; negative indicates contraction. The distance from 0 indicates the strength of the expansion or decline.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-9.90 -19.30 23.90 -68.10 2020 - 2026 points Monthly
SA

News Stream
Australia Construction Index Strengthens Further
The Ai Group Industry Index for Australia’s construction sector rose 9.0 points to -9.9 in May 2026, extending its recent recovery and notching a three-month high. Despite the improvement, conditions remained challenging as uncertainty continued to weigh on the sector. Businesses reported delays in client decision-making, slower project approvals, and subdued customer confidence, leading to the postponement of investment and procurement plans. Construction firms also expressed growing concerns about the outlook, citing project delays, elevated costs, and persistent stock shortages, although new enquiries remained relatively steady.
2026-06-02
Australia Construction Index Surges But Stays in Contraction
The Ai Group Industry Index for Australia’s construction sector jumped 37.8 points to -19.3 in April 2026, indicating a sharp improvement in conditions, though the sector remained in contraction. Firms continued to report steady underlying demand, but activity was constrained by rising input and labour costs. Builders also noted a limited appetite for risk, which weighed on new project commitments. At the same time, labour shortages persisted, as skilled trades were increasingly sought after across multiple sectors, adding further pressure on project timelines and costs.
2026-05-05