Inefficiencies are costing construction businesses employees

​​​​​​​Small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) with 50 workers are losing 30 minutes per person daily, effectively surrendering 5,500 hours annually

Due to inefficiencies, European construction businesses lose three full-time employees for every 50-person team annually.

This is according to a recent report by tool manufacturer MILWAUKEE, Electrical Times reported.

Most workers (85%) report daily time lost to equipment faults, while over a third say poorly equipped teams are their biggest productivity barrier. Almost all (92%) want access to higher-quality tools to do their jobs more effectively.

The ‘Powering-up Productivity’ whitepaper, based on extensive research across multiple European markets, uncovers the scale of productivity challenges in construction and sets out actionable strategies for improvement.

It highlights how poor-quality tools, skills shortages, and inadequate service support undermine site performance.

It also shows how targeted equipment investment can unlock immediate efficiency gains and long-term industry resilience.

The whitepaper highlights that a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) with 50 workers losing just 30 minutes per person daily effectively surrenders 5,500 hours annually—equal to the output of three full-time employees.

While construction productivity in Europe increased by 10% between 2021 and 2023, the research indicates that significantly greater gains are achievable if businesses invest in the right equipment, support for their workforce, and improved service infrastructure:

• 37% of construction workers cite poorly equipped teams as a major productivity barrier
• Almost nine out of 10 (85%) report time lost due to equipment faults, cut-outs and breakages
• 92% of EU construction workers want access to higher-quality tools
• Three out of 10 (30%) cite skills deficits as a barrier to productivity, with 37% highlighting lack of materials

The findings underline how productivity shortfalls are driven by inadequate equipment and wider systemic challenges, such as the skills crisis and tightening project margins.

85% of workers report losing time daily to equipment failures, and nearly four in ten construction professionals cite poorly equipped teams as their biggest productivity barrier, this is a systemic challenge.

The data makes it clear: with 92% of EU construction workers calling for higher-quality tools, it’s important to invest in reliable, task-specific equipment and proper workforce support to aid productivity.

The findings come at a critical time for the European construction sector, which faces mounting pressures from post-Brexit labour shortages, an escalating skills crisis, and tightening project margins.