September 16, 2026

Batimatech White Paper Calls for Construction Productivity and Innovation Reforms

Batimatech has released its first sector white paper, Tomorrow Is Built Today: Productivity, Innovation and Affordability in the Construction Industry, outlining challenges affecting construction productivity and potential strategies for modernizing the industry.

Drawing on data from Statistics Canada, the OECD and World Bank, the report says construction productivity has increased by just 0.21% annually over the past 25 years, compared with 1.44% in the services sector.

The report also highlights the fragmented structure of construction, with 78% of firms employing five people or fewer, while the average Canadian building permit takes 249 days.

AI, Robotics and Prefabrication Among Potential Solutions

Batimatech identifies several technologies and operational changes that could help improve construction productivity and efficiency.

These include better data management, prefabrication, robotics and artificial intelligence. The white paper also calls for structural changes involving workforce training and reducing administrative burdens.

According to Batimatech, many of the technologies needed to transform construction already exist, but broader adoption across the industry remains a challenge.

Construction Productivity Meets Housing Affordability

The white paper also examines the relationship between construction productivity and housing affordability in Canada.

While improving productivity could help the industry build housing faster and at lower cost, the report argues that construction efficiency alone will not close the widening gap between housing prices and household affordability.

This distinction positions productivity as one component of a broader housing challenge requiring multiple policy and industry responses.