Moving to construction methods using new technologies and industrialised methods will re-shape the global construction workforce, changing the demographic profile of workers.
Done well, this shift will bring new skills and responsibilities for the existing workforce, while attracting a new, diverse generation of talent in a competitive market. However, successful change management will require strong leadership and an open, creative approach to obtain the buy-in of staff, work councils, unions and shareholders.
While the impact of new technologies and innovative approaches is already being felt by the construction industry, projects simply would not be completed without physical outdoor labour. The move to modular and manufacturing methods will be massive for this still very traditional industry with, in some cases, enormous changes to terms and conditions of employment and significant re-training required.
The more significant these changes, the more urgent the need for buy-in from workforce representatives. A move away from site-based to factory-based work will require employees to accept new ways of working and new shift patterns, and to adopt new skills. This change is likely to have one of the most disruptive and important impacts on the infrastructure’s workforce in decades. Trade unions are likely to be resistant to restructuring exercises involving redundancy, or substantial changes to job roles and terms and conditions.
In the UK, for example, the...
THE BILLING GRID A weekly column on research billing and coverage analysis, by Krishma Shah A coordinator submits a lab requisition. The central lab bills it to the site. The site bills it to Medi...