Manpower Management in the Domestic and International Construction Industry

Manpower management in the construction industry is heavily influenced by the particular characteristics of the industry. The most significant include the labour intensive nature of much construction, employment instability, an unstable industrial structure which has been referred to as the ‘construction jungle’ (Stallworthy and Kharbanda, 1985), fragmented bargaining structures and the interdependence of trades as well as pervasive regulation. Analysis is also complicated by the diversity of labour management practices. Significant differences exist between public and private sector contractors. Within the private sector, unionised trades and firms coexist with a significant non-union sector and a large casualised subcontracting industry. The emphasis in this paper is on private sector construction and particular attention is paid to the growth of ‘labour only’ subcontracting.