Measures to improve policies regarding construction craft workers in response to changing construction technologies

An Jong-wook, Associate Research Fellow

Summary

1> A lack of skilled workers continues to decrease the productivity basis at construction sites. Policies related to construction craft workers aiming to reducing the vulnerability of construction jobs fail to adopt technology advancement and other industrial changes

2> Changes in construction technology transform the aspects of construction site as well as production system, and the change in production system also causes a policy change regarding construction workforce 

3> Current policies on construction craft workers are mainly consisted of evaluation and classification system, support for training and education of workers, efficient employment management. There is a need to change them in preparation for changing construction technologies such as automation (of mechanical equipment), modularization and pre-production, and adoption of AI technologies based on ICT 

4> Need to identify tasks to improve the existing policies with regard to evaluation and classification system, support for training and education, and efficient employment management based on the analysis of the state of construction craft workers, changing demand of workforce at construction site along with technological development, and comparison of construction craft worker policies of Japan and other countries

Policy proposals

① (Policy direction) Draw a consensus and support by the entire construction industry, encourage and motivate the industry to foster the talents and improve their capability through constant education and training, and minimize the information asymmetry and transaction costs in the labor market

② (Policy development) Provide more incentives to attract the youth in the short-term, then improve policies to respond to technological changes to the mid- to long-term

③ (Evaluation and classification system) Attract the youth to begin their career in the construction sector by providing concrete career paths and amend the qualification and level of construction engineers and technicians in order to adapt to technological changes

④ (Support for training and education) Need to provide special cases and constant training and support in the short-term and develop visions and roadmaps for responding to technological changes and improve the details of training and education based on them to the mid- to long-term

⑤ (Efficient employment management) It is urgently needed to develop an integrated DB of construction craft workers and provide systematic management of recruit information and establish a plan to utilize female workers ​