Hanoi (VNA) – Up to 57.3 percent ofconstruction businesses are expected to perform better in the third quarter of2018, according to the General Statistics Office.

The forecast is based on a survey conducted bythe GSO on over 5,300 construction firms across 63 cities and provincesnationwide.

According to the survey, 60.2 percent ofState-run construction firms said they were optimistic that the businesssituation in the third quarter would be better and more stable than that of thesecond quarter.

Around 57.4 percent of non-State businesses and56.1 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises also showed optimism.

The survey indicated that 48.6 percent ofenterprises said they would stabilise or reduce expenses for constructionactivities in Q3, while 51.4 percent expected increasing production costs.

As many as 54.6 percent of FDI companiesforecast to stabilise or reduce production costs. The ratio for non-State andState-owned firms was 48.3 percent and 35.7 percent, respectively.

In the third quarter, 48.8 percent of businessesanticipated stable or reducing expenses for construction materials, while 51.2percent would increase building material costs.

A total of 57.5 percent of FDI firms said theywould maintain or reduce expenses for construction materials. The proportionfor non-State and State-owned enterprises was 48.2 percent and 37.8 percent,respectively.

Up to 54.3 percent of businesses said they wouldmaintain or reduce employment costs. Some 64 percent of FDI firms would do alsobe doing so, while this proportion for non-State and State-run firms was 49percent and 53.4 percent, respectively.-VNA