Assessment of financial incentive programs for the construction labor force: A Delphi analysis

[From Introduction] Economists have not agreed upon the adequacy of data in the construction industry to determine if and how far its productivity lags behind other industries, or if cost of construction has increased faster than most other costs. Executives in the industry on the other hand, both builders and users, are firmly convinced that productivity in their industry, far from ever being optimal, has steadily declined over the last ten years. Many articles in professional publications attest to rampant inefficiencies in the use of construction resources ("Low Productivity--The Real Sin of High Wages," 1972; "Productivity on the Construction Site," 1977). This study accepts the industry's own verdict to justify the pursuit of an investigation which aims at challenging the current state.