Online interest in construction productivity reached a five-year high in early 2026, as pressure mounted on the sector to improve performance.

 

Google search data in the UK showed a 600% increase in February for the term ‘construction productivity’ when compared to February 2021. Interest in the term has stayed consistently higher than the five-year average every month since.

 

Related searches, including ‘construction growth’ and ‘construction efficiency’ saw similar surges in search demand, increasing 550% and 144% respectively over the past year.

 

The rapid increase in online activity for this topic aligns with mounting pressure across the sector to boost slow productivity and growth rates.

 

These findings align with data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in February, which found that the total construction output was estimated to have fallen by 2% in the preceding three months, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly decline. Output has shown signs of growth in more recent months.

 

The RICS Construction Productivity Report published in March 2026, pointed to several of the key challenges facing UK construction businesses. The report found that one in five firms do not measure productivity at all, and only 5% use any form of industry benchmark.

 

The drive to find digital solutions to improve efficiency can also be seen in recent Google search data. For example, ‘best productivity apps’, ‘Building Information Modelling’ and ‘Digital Twins’, all saw significant increases in search activity.

 

One example of how firms are responding can be seen at CLM Fireproofing, a UK passive fire protection specialist.

 

To improve productivity levels and futureproof its operations, CLM has undertaken a long-term digital transformation process to move away from paper-based processes and limited project visibility towards a more robust data-led approach to managing site activity.

 

Heather Eldridge, Operations Manager at CLM, said: “Since we comprehensively digitised our processes, we have halved the amount of time we’re spending on discrepancy identification, pulling reports and formatting them. It is a case of doing that once-over final check and we’re able to move on to the next.”

 

The shift has also improved visibility at a senior leadership level. Will Naylor, Chief Operations Officer at CLM, said: “With new digital features, we can look on a day-to-day, a week-to-week, or a monthly basis, how productive our teams are. And then I can have a look through what’s not working quite as well as other projects and focus my time where it’s really needed.”

 

Technology providers are playing a growing role in this shift. The subcontractor operations and compliance platform Onetrace worked extensively with CLM to support the business through its digitisation journey.

 

For Greg McClelland, Co-founder of Onetrace, the rise in interest signals a turning point in how the construction industry is tackling productivity. He said: “Construction businesses are being squeezed from every direction – rising costs, tighter margins, strict regulations, and increasing client scrutiny. At the same time, many still lack a clear, real-time view of what is happening on site.

 

“The surge in search interest shows firms are actively looking for ways to fix the problem. What this often comes down to is visibility and transparency. When you can see, in real time, what’s happening across your projects, you remove the guesswork, cut the admin, and make faster, better decisions.”

 

Google Trends analyses a sample of billions of daily searches to measure the relative popularity of topics over time, offering insight into changing priorities.