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Trends in productivity improvement in the US construction industry

Author

Listed:
  • David Arditi
  • Krishna Mochtar

Abstract

Surveys of the top 400 US contractors were conducted in 1979, 1983 and 1993 to identify the areas with potential for productivity improvement in the construction industry. The trends in the findings of these surveys are observed and interpreted. The results indicate that cost control, scheduling, design practices, labour training, and quality control are the functions that consistently over the years are perceived as having considerable room for productivity improvement, whereas materials packaging and foreign developments in construction technologies are perceived consistently as functions that do not have much effect on improving construction productivity. The functions that were identified as needing more improvement in 1993 compared with the previous surveys were prefabrication, new materials, value engineering, specifications, labour availability, labour training, and quality control, whereas those that were identified as needing less improvement than in the previous surveys were field inspection and labour contract agreements. Also, respondents indicated consistently over the years that they are willing to participate in activities related to improving construction productivity but are not interested in funding any such activities.

Suggested Citation

  • David Arditi & Krishna Mochtar, 2000. "Trends in productivity improvement in the US construction industry," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 15-27.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:18:y:2000:i:1:p:15-27
    DOI: 10.1080/014461900370915
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    Cited by:

    1. Daeyoun Won & Bon‐Gang Hwang & Soo Jing Chng, 2021. "Assessing the effects of workforce diversity on project productivity performance for sustainable workplace in the construction industry," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 398-418, March.
    2. Murat Gunduz & Abdulrahman Abu-Hijleh, 2020. "Assessment of Human Productivity Drivers for Construction Labor through Importance Rating and Risk Mapping," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Tero Kuusi & Martti Kulvik & Juha-Matti Junnonen, 2022. "Productivity Growth in Construction Value Chains," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 42, pages 3-32, Spring.
    4. Kuusi, Tero & Junnonen, Juha-Matti & Kulvik, Martti, 2020. "Construction Value Chains and Their Productivity Growth," ETLA Working Papers 79, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    5. Segundo Camino‐Mogro & Natalia Bermudez‐Barrezueta, 2021. "Productivity determinants in the construction sector in emerging country: New evidence from Ecuadorian firms," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2391-2413, November.
    6. Fox, Stephen, 2016. "Leapfrog skills: Combining vertical and horizontal multi-skills to overcome skill trade-offs that limit prosperity growth," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 129-139.

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