Addressing youth un/underemployment through construction social procurement: An ecological systems theory perspective

Young people’s unemployment and underemployment are acknowledged as serious and enduring problems in Australia and globally. Construction is one of the largest employers of young people, and social procurement of construction products and services has significant potential if harnessed to address this problem. This article argues that project-based intermediation offers critical new insights into how social procurement can be implemented in a construction context. Employing a single case study approach, the article uses ecological systems theory and concept mapping to examine the results of focus groups with twelve young people who transitioned to employment in the Australian construction industry through a unique project-based intermediary set up by a major contractor to meet its social procurement requirements. Addressing the current under-theorisation of social procurement research, this article offers new conceptual insights into the socio-ecological networks that influence young people’s successful transition to employment in construction. The findings also provide new practical insights for government policymakers and the construction industry into the potential role that project-based intermediation can play in addressing youth unemployment in the context of emerging social procurement policies in many countries.