Making Construction Employment Decent Work: Dynamic Modelling Of Workers’ Willingness To Be Employed In The Industry

Employment is widely recognised as the best route out of poverty. The construction sector which is the backbone of a nation’s development has a very high potential of employment creation. Construction is a labour-intensive activity and has the capacity to provide extensive employment with very little investment. It is considered an ‘employment spinner’ which provides employment for the least educated and marginalized poor. (ILO, 2001)

Creating jobs is not sufficient. There are many people who work, but are poor. They do not have adequate income and protection. The ‘working poor’ are people who have jobs but still cannot lift themselves out of poverty (World Bank, 2005). A job which is not ‘decent’ enough, that is, a job which does not give a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families and better prospects for personal development and social integration will not improve the quality of peoples’ lives. Hence, creating ‘decent work’ which ensures decent levels of income and living standards is essential. (ILO, 2004)

Regrettably, construction employment is not considered ‘decent’. Construction work is considered as “dirty, difficult and dangerous”. Studies point out that people work in construction sector out of necessity rather than out of choice (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). The temporary and casual terms of employment, the practice of recruitment through subcontractors and intermediaries, lack of opportunities for training and skill formation, continuous mobility of workforce and health and safety problems contribute to the unattractiveness of a career in construction. (ILO, 2001).

Moreover, the workers stay most of their lives as construction workers no matter what hardships they have to go through. Generally, construction labourers are not a transient population (Mitullah and Wachira, 2003). They work in the industry for 20-30 years. Hence, the question is what makes the workers willing to be employed in construction? Is it only the subsistence requirement which makes them willing?

Further, income from construction job is generally very low. In that case, what do the poor achieve from the construction employment? Can the job fulfil their aspirations? Is the job helping the workers to improve the quality of their lives? Are the peoples’ lives better than before? Or are they still poor with low levels of quality of life?

The prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing labour and temporary and casual terms of employment lead to deteriorating working conditions (ILO, 2001). This raises a question whether the welfare of the workers is taken care of in the construction industry. Can the workers’ life quality deteriorate instead of improvement, due to these bad working conditions? Is it possible for them to change the quality of their lives with construction employment which is not considered ‘decent’? How can the job be made ‘decent’ so that workers do not have to fight daily for their lives?

The negligence of the workers’ welfare may be due to the nature of the industry which considers labourers as ‘production cost’ only. Reducing costs and maximising profits have been the aims of the industry most of the time and workers’ welfare is often neglected (ILO, 2001). It should be noted that workers are one of the major stakeholders of construction projects. Their satisfaction in the process of production shall not be neglected. Thus, it is essential for the industry to take initiatives to study about workers’ aspirations and improve their lives so that the production process benefits all stake holders.

Ms. Ramya Kanaganayagam made a research that investigated on what can be done to improve the job and workers’ lives. The objectives of her study were: (1) identify factors which determine the quality of construction workers’ lives and influence workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (2) using System Dynamics approach, develop a model to understand the dynamics of workers’ willingness to be employed as construction workers; (3) using the model, study the influence of factors which can be leveraged by construction companies to improve construction workers’ lives and make construction employment ‘decent work’.

The following conclusions were reached from her study.

1. Employment provides opportunities for people to fulfil their needs. The importance of needs and the extent to which these needs are fulfilled determine the quality of life. Hence, it can be concluded that employment determines quality of life. The satisfaction or dissatisfaction resulting from fulfilment of needs will determine the willingness to continue work and or the motivation to perform in work.

2· Work which is not ‘decent’ may erode the quality of life. Insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time, gender discrimination which result due to the nature and terms of construction employment erode the quality of workers’ life. Though, economic conditions of the construction industry play a major role in determining the severity of these conditions. When economic conditions are good, that is, when the labour supply is less than the demand, these conditions are not so severe.

3· Factors which determine the quality of a worker’s life and affect the worker’s willingness to be employed in construction are almost identical. The need to improve the quality of life and improvements achieved as a result of the employment in the quality of life make workers willing to be employed in construction. On the other hand factors which deteriorate the quality of life reduce the willingness.

4· The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase workers’ ‘willingness to be employed as construction workers’. Dissatisfaction resulting from bad conditions of work; and other available opportunities reduce the willingness. The commitment from employers or construction companies reduces dissatisfaction, increase satisfaction and thereby increase workers willingness to work in construction and attachment to the particular company.

5· The adverse nature and terms of construction employment cannot be avoided. However, employers or construction companies can make construction employment ‘decent’ by leveraging the following factors: working hours and wages, social security and welfare, occupational safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality.

Her thesis abstract is copied and posted.

ABSTRACT
Employment is considered the best way out of poverty. The construction industry has a very high potential of employment creation, especially for the uneducated and poor. However prevailing practices regarding labour in the construction industry such as outsourcing and recruiting on temporary and casual terms, lead to deteriorating working conditions. It is sometimes viewed that construction employment is not ‘decent’ and a mere exploitation of cheap labour. This research aimed to investigate how construction employment is shaping workers’ lives, what makes the workers willing to work in construction and how the job can be improved. Qualitative data gathered from case study and interviews conducted in Thailand and a review of literature helped to develop a System Dynamics model to investigate workers’ willingness to work in construction. The study reveals that insecure and inadequate income, necessity for severe physical exertion, exposure to health and safety hazards, exposure to poor living conditions, requirement for separation from family, lack of free time and gender discrimination erode workers’ quality of life and reduce their willingness. The pressure to generate income and satisfaction resulting from fulfilment of certain higher level needs increase willingness. The study also investigates possible actions by construction companies such as limiting overtime hours, provisions for accommodation and welfare facilities, safety and health measures, skills development and gender equality which could improve workers’ willingness and their life.