Kuo, Y. C. (2026) Interactive relationships among factors influencing skilled labor shortages in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 33(3), pp. 2625-2648. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose – The factors contributing to skilled labor shortages in the construction industry are investigated based on relevant global literature. The potential factors are collected, organized and subjected to expert evaluation to determine their inter-relationships. The identified factors are integrated to determine both direct and indirect impacts, clarifying their relative importance. Design/methodology/approach – Apart from literature reviews, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was employed to elucidate influential relationships among the factors. Intuitive assessments and DEMATEL with and without the shortage factors were used to compare the impact of various factors on skilled labor shortages. Findings – Significant differences were observed between considering only direct effects and both direct and indirect effects. Factors identified through comprehensive evaluation were prioritized; poor overall wages, poor overall welfare and lack of retirement income security and unclear career path owing to lack of prospects and talent plans were the three important factors identified. Research limitations/implications – The disparity between construction companies and key stakeholders, such as government agencies, public sector clients, pre-project planners, designers and consulting engineers, stems from differing priorities concerning skilled labor in the construction industry. In this study, evaluations of most experts from construction companies and the gap ratio for data reliability were implemented for the analysis. In the future, more experts from government agencies, and other groups should be included while focusing on the shortage in individual trades of skilled workers. In addition, the proposed measures require further evaluation for interactive influence and effectiveness. Originality/value – The interactive relationship among the factors influencing skilled labor shortages is explored to determine measures to alleviate their influence. This can aid policymakers in identifying effective solutions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction labor; decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory; labor shortage; skill shortage; skilled labor |
| Index terms: | shortages, career, decision-making, methodology, indirect effect, consulting engineer, public-sector client, literature review, construction company, skilled labour, skill shortage, laboratory, wages, relative importance, evaluation, government agency, construction industry, disparity, construction labour, income, effectiveness, labour shortage, planner, designer, skilled worker, direct effect |
| Subjects: | organization, analytical methods, economic analysis, research methods, factor and component analysis, social justice, research management, business economics, profession, risk assessment, data analysis and analytics, professional development, economics, performance management, management, administrative law, industry analysis, decision analysis, sociology |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Site Management, Human Resources, Risk Management, Quality Management, Ethics, Supply Chain Management, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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