Tam, C M; Tong, T K L; Cheung, S O and Chan, A P C (2001) Genetic algorithm model in optimizing the use of labour. Construction Management and Economics, 19(2), pp. 207-215. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
The construction industry is characterized by the existence of multiple trades and crafts. With the existence of multiple-tiers of labour-only-subcontracting in Hong Kong, tradesmen are normally assigned to tasks of a narrowly defined skill. Lately, there has been a call for the adoption of a directly employed labour scheme by the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the public works departments in Hong Kong in order to improve both safety and quality. However, current industry practice has hindered the adoption of directly employed labour, which requires assigning tradesmen to broadly defined task groupings. In implementing the scheme, the first thing to be resolved is how to maximize the levels of use of workers, because that is the major financial incentive to encourage contractors to adopt the directly employed labour policy. This coupled with the shortage of some skilled craft workers call into question the traditionally accepted 'single-skilled' or 'single-task' approach in labour deployment. A genetic algorithm model is developed to optimize the labour deployment and practical examples are presented. The optimization results are very promising, confirming the practical application value of the model.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | genetic algorithms; labour deployment; multi-skill; subcontracting |
| Index terms: | public work, construction industry, Hong Kong, subcontracting, housing, genetic algorithm, financial incentive |
| Subjects: | economic analysis, construction type, organization, industry analysis, algorithms, Geography, infrastructure engineering |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Supply Chain Management, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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