Impact of workforce training on worker performance in the construction industry

Abstract

For decades, labor shortage has been a consistent recurring struggle in the construction industry. A well-trained craft workforce is crucial to maximizing the worker’s potential and productivity. Studies in the existing literature have highlighted the importance of workforce training and its role in mitigating the impact of widespread workforce challenges and tight labor markets. Despite that, no research has yet quantified how training impacts workers’ performance. The objective of this paper is to analyze and understand the impact of workforce training on the self-evaluated performance record (including safety, attendance, quality, productivity, and initiative) of construction workers and frontline supervisors in the construction industry. To achieve the research objective, 2468 construction craft workers and frontline supervisors were surveyed using an online questionnaire. The survey participants were asked to self-evaluate their work personal performance record. The participants were additionally asked to specify how many hours of training they have completed in recent years including craft skills, job management skills, and planning skills. The collected data was then analyzed. Key findings indicate workforce training had a statistically significant impact on increased worker performance.