Construction is still booming in Berlin and Brandenburg, and at the same time it is more expensive than ever before - which is also reflected in the balance sheets of construction companies.

Both sales and new orders in the main construction sector are on the rise, as are employees' incomes, according to data from the Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office.

Berlin construction companies with 20 or more employees posted 16.1 percent more sales in the first half of the year than in the same period last year, the office reported Monday. In Brandenburg, the figure was 7.4 percent. At the same time, the value of orders that came in during the first half of the year grew: in Berlin by 11.7 percent, in Brandenburg by 24.1 percent.

Total wages paid increased more strongly than the number of employees in both countries from January to June. This was due to pay rises and one-off payments agreed in the fall.

Construction prices have recently risen more sharply than ever before, as the office reported in June. One factor here is that many raw materials and energy became more expensive.

Photo by Umit Yildirim