Enhancing Labor Productivity in Construction Management: Influential Factors and Contributions

Labor productivity in the construction sector remains a largely overlooked field of study. Enhancing productivity can save costs without large investments, crucial for profitable construction projects. Measuring labor productivity is challenging but vital. Resource efficiency and high reduction in expenses is significant concern with respect to the construction sector. Developed countries view it as fostering growth and welfare, while developing nations see it as a way to tackle unemployment, inflation, and improve citizens' lives amid resource scarcity. The primary objective this review aims to pinpoint are the key parameters influencing labor productivity in construction and classify them in relation to their relative significance from the perspective of contractors. Questionnaires were used to collect data for this study. The evaluation of 46 factors examined through a survey reveals that certain primary factors adversely impact labor productivity. These include Physical fatigue of the labor, unclear instructions to the labors, lack of labor discipline, lack of appropriate labor inspection or supervision, and lack of labor experience/ skills. The study showed that the factors affecting labor productivity were categorized into 7 groups some of which are Labor related factors, Site related factors, External related factors, Motivational related factors and more. In addition, it was also revealed that Labor related factors had the most effect on labor productivity with its relative importance index of 72.75 while External related factors had the least effect on labor productivity having relative importance index 66.92. Contractors and construction professionals can benefit from this study in understanding factors affecting labor productivity and help to take required measures.