Comparison of Labor Productivity

Abstract

This paper presents a comparison of labor productivity for masonry activities from seven countries. Case‐study projects were selected from Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. Productivity data were collected by participating researchers using a procedures manual detailing how data were to be collected. Standardized data from 13 projects were assembled into a data base consisting of 465 days or records. Statistical analyses indicated little difference in the productivity from the seven countries despite significant differences in labor practices. The principal difference was the management influence. The more disruptions, the worse the productivity. This project marks the first reported effort to collect productivity in a standardized manner from multiple projects on the international level. Differences in productivity for this work were exaggerated.