Worker Satisfaction and Job Preferences in the U.S. Construction Industry

Abstract

The shortage of skilled construction workers is considered to be one of the greatest challenges facing the U.S. construction industry. Advances in construction equipment and material technologies, modularized components, and estimating and scheduling strategies have offset the shortage of skilled construction labor. However, there is a perception among industry leaders that the skilled worker shortage is getting worse. The shortage of skilled workers poses a considerable threat to the competitiveness of the U.S. construction industry. There have been many reasons offered for the drop in construction labor availability from the drop in construction real wages to decline of construction unions. One other possible reason is a drop in worker satisfaction in construction. Using data from the General Sociological Survey (GSS), this paper examines the changes in worker satisfaction among U.S. construction workers from the 1970s, 1980s, to the 1990s. Changes in construction worker satisfaction are compared to changes in the general population to examine their uniqueness. The paper also examines how changes in worker satisfaction have occurred in both union and non-union trades. The analysis examines how worker accomplishment, opportunity for advancement, working hours, job security, and income relate to job satisfaction and how they are influenced by occupation and education attainment. An understanding of what promotes a construction workers’ job satisfaction should improve management’s ability to get the most out of the current workforce and increase its size for future needs.