Abstract
Labour productivity in South Africa is at one of its lowest levels. During 2014 the civil
construction industry contributed only 3.5% to the GDP of South Africa. It is faced with
challenges such as an industry environment that is increasingly competitive, and organisations
in the civil industry that experience financial difficulties, such as low profit margins. An industryspecific
survey, using a questionnaire, was conducted to ascertain the perceptions of industry
professionals regarding factors which have an impact on productivity. A literature study was
done to identify the factors that have an impact on construction productivity, based on a global
perspective. From the literature study, 12 studies were identified, and a benchmark was set with
which to compare the findings of the research questionnaire.
To obtain the relevant information through the questionnaire, a selective sampling process
was used, as the focus of the research required a specific group of individuals who were
involved in the management of projects in the civil construction industry. Two civil engineering
organisations, the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors and the South
African Institution of Civil Engineering, were contacted to assist with the distribution of the
questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 51 factors which the industry professionals had
to rate, based on their experience. These factors had to be rated with the use of a 0–4 Likert
scale, based on two specific questions: (1) What impact does the factor have on construction
productivity? (2) What is the frequency of occurrence of the factor?
A total of 40 questionnaires were completed by the industry professionals. Thereafter the
ranking of the factors was calculated with the use of the relative importance index.