Revenues in the building sector rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, the national statistics office CBS reported on Thursday.

Turnover last year was only a few percentage points below the record posted before the 2008 economic crisis set in. Job numbers, too, increased in 2017, the CBS said.

Revenues in the civil and utility sectors booked the highest increase at 9.8%. Nevertheless turnover in these sectors which includes homes and buildings was 10% below their 2008 peak, the CBS said.

The ground, roads and waterways sector recorded turnover more than 4% higher than in 2016, following two years of lower revenues.

Job numbers continued to increase last year. There were 529,00 registered workers in the construction sector in the final quarter of 2016, a 4% increase over the year-earlier period.

There were 14,200 job vacancies in the fourth quarter of last year, nearly twice the number in the 2016 period and the highest number since the end of 2008.