With a significant but not dominant share of the labor market, high levels of informality, and a poorly diversified structure, the sector showed that growth does not always mean generating more job opportunities
SANTO DOMINGO – According to the National Survey of Economic Activity (ENAE 2025), conducted by the National Statistics Office (ONE), the number of people employed in the construction sector increased from 56,474 in 2023 to 56,575 in 2024, representing an absolute increase of 101 workers, equivalent to a year-on-year change of 0.2%.
The results, compared with data from the Central Bank, indicated that construction activity experienced significant growth between 2023 and 2024; however, during that same period, employment remained virtually unchanged.
According to the Central Bank, jobs in this productive segment represented approximately 8.3% of total employment in 2022, placing the sector below areas such as trade and services in terms of job creation at the national level.
In parallel, the gross production value of the construction sector increased from RD$194,367 million in 2023 to RD$224,687 million in 2024, equivalent to a growth of 15.6%, according to the same ONE report.
Employment and wages
The ENAE data indicated that the composition of employment in the construction sector was mainly concentrated in operational occupations, such as 57% workers and operators, 36% professionals and technicians and 6% management personnel.
Regarding gender distribution, employment in the sector maintained a high proportion of male workers. For the period analyzed, the distribution was: men, between 83% and 84%, while women's participation ranged between 16% and 17%.
Regarding wages, the average monthly salary in the construction sector rose from RD$27,828 in 2023 to RD$28,384 in 2024, according to the ENAE, an absolute difference of RD$556 from one year to the next. Likewise, total wages paid in the sector exceeded RD$42 billion in 2024, according to the same report.
Informal employment
Data from the Central Bank's Continuous National Labor Force Survey, published by El Inmobiliario, indicated that labor informality in the Dominican economy decreased from 56.8% in 2023 to 54.8% in 2024.
This implies that more than 8 out of 10 workers operated without social protection and the growth of the sector did not necessarily improve the quality of employment.
In construction, the proportion of informal workers was around 86% in 2024, ranking among the highest by economic activity, although in 2025 it fell to 85.4%, a level that placed the sector above the national average, estimated at 54.1% for that same year.
Production vs. Employment
During the period analyzed, the sector's production growth outpaced employment growth. Available data show a 15.6% increase in production and a 0.2% increase in employment, demonstrating that between 2023 and 2024, the construction sector experienced increased economic activity, but the number of people employed remained virtually unchanged.
In this context, the sector continued to represent a limited proportion of total employment and maintained high levels of informal labor.
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