How productive is the construction industry?

Consistent and reliable construction statistics are crucial for ascertaining the
industry’s productivity performance. A reliable productivity estimate is essential to establish a reference point for understanding the factors that impinge on productivity performance (e.g. workforce skills). Reviewing the existing construction statistics, alternative productivity estimates were derived based on different statistical sources. This variability presents a distorted and confusing image of the industry’s productivity performance and constraints the understanding of any future improvements. Also, it is questionable that the existing data provide an adequate reflection of the nature of the industry. Therefore, there is a need for a thorough understanding of various statistical sources and their underlying assumptions in order to derive a reliable productivity estimate.