Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction (한국건축시공학회지)

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A Comparative Analysis of Construction Labor Productivity in OECD Countries

OECD 국가의 건설업 노동생산성 비교 및 분석

  • Park, Hwan-Pyo (Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology)
  • Received : 2022.12.02
  • Accepted : 2023.01.11
  • Published : 2023.04.20
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Abstract

Upon analyzing labor productivity in the construction industry across OECD countries, it was found that in 2019, labor productivity per employee in the South Korean construction industry was lower than that of major developed countries when adjusted for purchasing power parity(PPP). Specifically, when benchmarked against other countries at a base of 100, South Korea scored 76.9 in the United States, 88.4 in Japan, and 85.1 in the OECD average. Notably, South Korea ranked 25th in labor productivity per employee in the construction industry among 35 OECD countries in 2019, indicating a low standing. A comparative analysis of the construction market size and labor productivity in the construction industry across OECD countries revealed that larger construction markets did not necessarily correlate with higher labor productivity. To enhance labor productivity in the construction industry, this study proposed the active implementation of smart construction technology at construction sites and the promotion of on-site assembly work using off-site construction(OSC) technology, rather than traditional on-site labor. Moreover, it was recommended that the development of modular construction methods and technologies be expanded. In the future, if off-site production methods and modules are further developed through advanced robotics and factory automation, labor productivity is anticipated to increase due to the restructuring of production methods, such as manufacturing.

OECD 국가를 대상으로 건설업의 노동생산성을 분석한 결과, 한국 건설업의 2019년 취업자당 노동생산성은 PPP 적용시 주요 선진국보다 낮은 수준이다. PPP 적용시 상대국을 100 기준으로 했을 때, 미국의 76.9, 일본의 88.4, OECD 평균의 85.1로 미흡한 수준이다. 특히 OECD 국가의 2019년도 건설업 취업자당 노동생산성을 분석한 결과, 한국은 25위 수준으로 OECD 35개 국가에서 차지하는 순위는 낮은 수준이다. OECD 국가의 건설시장규모와 건설업 노동생산성을 비교·분석한 결과, 건설시장규모가 큰 국가가 건설업 노동생산성이 높다고는 볼 수 없다. 따라서 본 연구는 건설업의 노동생산성을 향상 시키기 위해서 첫째, 스마트 건설기술을 건설현장에 접목하여 적극 활용하는 방안, 둘째, 건설현장 작업보다는 OSC 기술로 공장작업을 통한 현장 설치작업의 활성화 방안을 제안하였다. 마지막으로 모듈러 공법, 기술개발을 확대할 필요가 있다고 제안하였다. 향후에는 첨단 로봇과 공장자동화를 통한 탈현장 생산방식 및 모듈 개발을 확대하면, 건설산업도 제조업과 같은 생산방식의 개편으로 노동생산성이 높아질 것으로 기대된다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Research for this paper was carried out under the KICT Research Program(project no. 20230079-001, Construction Policy and Construction Management Development Strategy) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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