Study of factors on productivity in the Singapore construction industry

• Main Author: Koh, Eugene Jun Jie
• Other Authors: Chew Ah Seng, David
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/67511
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The construction industry has been facing dramatic changes in recent years. It is striving to achieve higher productivity in line with Singapore's productivity push. Companies in the construction industry have to be quick to respond to market forces and continually anticipate change. While more buildable project designs contribute to higher productivity, there are other participating and counteracting forces at play that contribute to productivity. This project aims to study the different factors involved in the productivity of construction activities. The recommendations of the key factors on productivity and resolutions adopted by the various industry stakeholders are also included in this study. The theoretical and practical implications of enhancing the different productivity factors as well as their effects on the Singapore construction industry are highlighted. The framework of this report is based on a comprehensive review of past literature, primary and secondary data. The literature review includes the various factors of productivity at play in Singapore construction companies as well as the issues and challenges that they face. The primary data includes questionnaires conducted with professionals from the construction contractor companies while the secondary data includes annual reports and case studies of the construction companies in Singapore. The main findings show that the lack of skilled labour and enterprise are two prominent hindrance in the contractor companies’ drive towards productivity. It was also inferred that the smaller contractor companies faced a larger challenge with competition and capital investment among the other factors. Through the various incentive schemes launched by the Building and Construction Authority, the schemes that focus on capability development, workforce development and technology adoption have emerged as the top three most helpful schemes. Lastly, conclusions and limitations of the study such as time constraints and recommendations for future studies are made, based on the research findings.