Abu Dhabi – Mubasher: The emirate of Abu Dhabi’s Construction Cost Index (CCI) has grown by 9.9% to reach 103.5% in the first three months of 2018, compared to the year-ago period, data released by the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD) showed.

Average construction costs jumped 19.9%, while construction costs increased 5.6% during Q1-18 from the previous quarter, the SCAD added.

The rise in average construction costs was driven by the workforce category, which is considered the most important group in the index, the government body said.

Equipment prices in the CCI rose 1.1%, mechanical and air conditioning operations, increased 3%, while cost of materials and services went up 9.9% and 15.9%, respectively, the report showed.