Almughrabi, F M; Samarasinghe, D A S and Rotimi, F E (2021) Analysis of skill shortages in prefabricated residential construction: A case for New Zealand. In: Scott, L and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 37th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-7 September 2021, Online Event, UK.
Abstract
In New Zealand, the demand for affordable housing and concerns about the performance of residential buildings provide a strong case for using prefabrication technologies. However, the New Zealand construction sector suffers from severe labour and skill shortages, preventing widespread adoption. The overarching aim of this study is to identify the major constraints affecting the uptake of prefabrication in New Zealand residential construction, and the barriers to meeting essential skill requirements for prefabrication. To achieve this, an online questionnaire was administered to construction stakeholders within the residential construction sector; this semi-structured survey contained closed- and open-ended questions. It found four major barriers to prefabrication uptake: a lack of research and development; a scarcity of skilled workers; a lack of previous work experience; and complexity and fragmentation in New Zealand's prefabricated construction supply chain. The industry must work on training and recruiting workers with skills relevant to the design, manufacture and installation of prefabricated elements, to promote prefabrication in New Zealand residential construction.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | New Zealand; prefabrication; residential construction; skills shortage; supply chain management. |
| Index terms: | complexity, prefabrication, construction sector, construction supply chain, residential construction, questionnaire, affordable housing, research and development, survey, skilled worker, fragmentation, New Zealand, skill shortage, residential building |
| Subjects: | construction integration, management, Geography, building construction, research management, systems engineering, industry analysis, business, data collection methods, construction type, construction logistics |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Construction Technology, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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