Wells, J (2006) Labour subcontracting in the construction industries of developing countries: An assessment from two perspectives. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 11(1), pp. 17-36. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
The practice of employing labour through subcontractors (often referred to as the "outsourcing" of labour) is both long established and widespread in the construction industries of developing countries. Recent studies show that it is also increasing in both developing and developed countries. An assessment of the advantages of the practice from the viewpoint of the contractors and of the labour force, suggests it is unlikely to disappear. The paper goes on to explore the implications for the development of the construction industry, as well as for the welfare of the workers and the achievement of broader development objectives. It is concluded that interventions may be needed to deal with some of the negative repercussions, but they have to accept and build on current labour practices.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; employment; labour market; outsourcing; regulation; subcontracting |
| Index terms: | subcontracting, employment, outsourcing, construction industry, labour market, developing country, developing and developed country, labour force, subcontractor, regulation |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, political science, management, economic development, economics, development economics, organization, business, practitioner |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Governance, Procurement, Roles and Professions, International Construction, Supply Chain Management, Human Resources |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here