The challenges of skilled resources recruitment and retention in construction projects : a case of a Cape Town based construction company

Abstract

The challenges involved in the recruitment and retention of personnel with valued talents are a prime issue that many industries are dealing with, and the construction industry is not an exception. This study examines the challenges of attracting and retaining skilled workers in the construction industry specifically at a Cape Town-based Construction Company. In South Africa, the challenges of recruiting and retaining skilled construction workers is often considered in the context of the apartheid era in which non-white education and training was marginalised. Due to the marginalisation and poor skills profile, most non-white and marginalised youths were absorbed in the construction sector which had greater job opportunities for low skilled individuals. The research approach that was used was a questionnaire that was distributed to ten supervisory personnel and sixty-two skilled personnel. Fortunately, all the 72 questionnaires were returned with responses. The data collected from the questionnaires were examined and findings were recorded. The decline in apprenticeship in both the public and private sectors; the increasing use of sub-contractors as well as the uncoordinated approach in the informal sector; the scramble for greener pastures; conditions of employment; safety and health issues associated with the construction industry, are some of the contributing factors to the challenges of skilled human resources recruitment and retention in the construction industry. Lastly, suggestions to mitigate the challenges of recruiting and retaining skilled construction workers were made as follows: prospective employers should use a wider range of job advertising platforms which people from different walks of life can access; construction industry employers should implement a clear career progression path for skilled workers; thirdly, the construction industry ought to acquire relevant technologies in order to improve the working conditions of skilled workers so as to improve their retention; and, lastly, strengthening of labour relations in the construction industry, involving both centralised and decentralised bargaining approaches was found to be important.