Construction output -- which accounts for around 6 pct of UK GDP -- was unchanged in the third quarter from the second quarter, according to figures released by the Department of Trade and Industry. This is below the estimate given in the latest third quarter GDP data, which incorporated construction output growth of 0.5 pct. Construction output in the year to the third quarter meanwhile was down 1 pct compared to the same period a year earlier. The total volume of new work in the year to the third quarter was down 2 pct compared with the previous year, but rose by 2 pct in the third quarter from the second, the DTI said. Repair and maintenance work was unchanged in the year to the third quarter compared with last year, but was 1 pct lower in the third quarter from the second. The DTI also said the seasonally adjusted number of people in employment in July 2005 rose by 1 pct compared with April and was 3 pct higher than July 2004. Total employment, which includes the self-employed, was 4 pct higher in July 2005 than in the same month in 2004.