Generational differences on craft workers’ perceptions of the factors affecting labour productivity1This paper is one of a selection of papers in this Special Issue on Construction Engineering and Management.

Abstract

Although the current economic downturn has eased the stress of broad skilled labour shortages, it is reasonable to believe that the shortage will return when the U.S. economy rebounds. The shortage could become more substantial because the U.S. construction industry is poised to make a significant demographic shift with Baby Boomer workers approaching retirement and Generation Y workers joining the workforce. This paper investigates how different generations of craft workers perceive the factors affecting labour productivity. The data was collected through a survey of 1996 craft workers on 28 U.S. construction sites in 2004 and 2005. The analysis results reveal that: (1) Generation Y, Generation X, and Baby Boomers actually have consensus on the relative impact of productivity factors; and (2) significant differences were also observed on individual productivity factors and the primary differences among the generations were associated with tools and consumables, labour, engineering drawing management, and project policy.