According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the real, price-adjusted order intake in the core construction sector increased by 7.6 percent in February 2026 compared to January 2026, after adjusting for calendar and seasonal changes.
Specific breakdowns showed that building construction (Hochbau) saw an increase of 8.6 percent, while civil engineering (Tiefbau) rose by 6.7 percent. Looking at the three-month period from December 2025 through February 2026, the overall calendar and seasonally adjusted order intake was 4.6 percent lower than the three months prior. This slowdown was primarily driven by building construction, which declined by 9.2 percent, although civil engineering saw a slight decrease of 0.4 percent.
Year-over-year comparisons indicated robust growth: the real, calendar-adjusted order intake in the construction main crafts sector rose by 9.8 percent in February 2026 compared to February 2025. Building construction’s order intake increased by 0.4 percent, while civil engineering showed a substantial rise of 19.2 percent. Furthermore, the nominal (unadjusted) order intake was 12.0 percent higher than the previous year.
In contrast, revenue figures showed moderate changes. The real revenue in the construction main crafts sector dropped by 13.2 percent in February 2026 year-over-year. Nominal revenue, for the same period, fell by 10.8 percent, totaling 6.3 billion euros.
Regarding employment, the number of people working in the core construction sector rose by 0.9 percent in February 2026 compared to the previous year. This figure, based on companies employing 20 or more people, stood at approximately 537,000 individuals.
