Although building permits issued in late 2012 have increased, the value of work has dropped by more than 74%.

Statistics from the September quarter of this year show 362 permits issued for construction work worth 84 million dollars.

The Bureau of Statistics report shows that in the June quarter, almost the same number of permits was valued at about 300 million dollars.

Commercial buildings, hotels and religious buildings make up a large portion of all construction work currently underway.

Most of the work – 61 million dollars worth – is being carried out in the Central Division, while the West is the second highest with over 21 million dollars worth of building permits.