PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS (PCA) OF THE ACTIVITIES OF INFORMAL CONSTRUCTION WORKERS/ARTISANS IN NIGERIA

Main Article Content

Sunday Julius Odediran
Olubola Babalola

Keywords

Construction Workers/Artisans, Informal Activities, Informal Construction, Informal Sector, Nigeria

Abstract

Every employment has deposit of activities to be performed by her employees. These activities vary with industries and who performs each of these activities is determined by how significance they are to the employment operation. Construction is one of such industries whose activities necessitate the growth and development of infrastructure needs of the societies. The activities in the construction industry are performed by different trades’ artisans refer to as informal workers/artisans in this paper. Hence, this paper examines the activities of informal construction workers/artisans in Nigeria with a view to classify these activities according to various trades in the industry. A comprehensive list of construction activities was made and informal workers/artisans were asked to rank these activities based on the frequency of how they are being performed on construction projects. Data collected were analyzed using factor analysis which classified these activities into principal components that described construction trades. The result of the study shows that the most frequent activities are associated with demolition & reconstruction and woodwork while the least frequent activities associated with electrical works. The result also classifies activities in the industry into various trades including plumbing installations, mansory & blockwork, steelworks, woodworks, electrical installations, painting & decoration; and demolition & reconstruction. The finding of this study provides information on the activities of the informal workers/artisans in the construction industry for the professionals, employers and policy makers to provide enabling and friendly environment for efficient service delivery in the construction industry.

Abstract 181 | PDF Downloads 49

References

Abdul-Aziz, Abdul-Rashid (2001). Site Operatives in Malaysia: Examining the foreign local
Asymmetry. Unpublished report for the ILO.
Adeyemi, A.Y.; Ojo, S.O.; Aina, O.O. and Olanipekun, E.A. (2006). Empirical Evidence of
Women Under-representation in the Construction Industry in Nigeria. Women in Management
Review, Vol. 21, No 7. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Aganga, O. (2010). Infrastructure: Construction sector contributes 3% to Nigeria's GDP.
Retrieved from http://www.nigeriantribune.com. Accessed 5/10/2010. Friday, 13 Aug
Agbola, T. (1985). Apprenticeship and Manpower Training Strategy in Nigeria Building Industry.
Quarterly Journal of the Local Self Government Institute, India, LVI (4222) pp. 278-287).
Allen, S. G. (1994). Developments in collective bargaining in construction in the 1980s and 1990s,
in Paula B. Voos (ed.): Contemporary collective bargaining in the private sector. Madison,
Industrial Relations Research Association, University of Wisconsin.
Anand, H. S. (2000). Critical HRD Issues Pertaining to Construction and other Workers in the
Informal Sector. Draft report prepared for IFP/SEED under a project entitled “Urban Informal
Sector Support Programme in India” funded by the ILO and the UNDP.
AEO (2012) Africa Economic Outlook.
http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/west-africa/nigeria/ accessed 2 Dec.
2012
Awodele, O. A., Ogunlana, O. S. and Motawa, I. (2010) Understanding and Managing Risks-
Necessary Condition for Success and Sustainability of Privately Financed Market Projects in
Nigeria. ARCOM Doctoral Workshop University of Wolverhampton, UK, 25th June, 2010
Assaad, R. (1993). Formal and Informal Institutions in the Labor Market, with Applications to the
Construction Sector in Egypt, in World Development (Oxford, Pergamon Press), Vol. 21, No.
6, pp. 925-939.
Associated General Contractors of New Hampshire (AGCNH) (2011). Construction Trades.
Retrieved from http://www.agcnh.com. Accessed on 12/01/2011.
Bowen, P. (1996). Skills for Construction: The Current Situation in Britain. Paper presented to a
workshop on skills and the Construction Labour process in Europe, held at the University of
Westminster, London, 17 May.
Connolly, P. (2001). Recent Trends in the Mexican Construction Industry and Outlook for the 21st
Century: Its Image, Employment Prospects and Skill Requirements. Unpublished report for the
ILO.
Crosthwaite, D. (2000).”The Global Construction Market: a Cross Sectional Analysis”.
Construction Management and Economics, Vol. 18, 619-627
Eisenberg, S. (1998). We’ll call you if we need you: Experiences of women working in
construction. Ithaca, Cornell University Press.
Fagbenle, O.I. and Olawunmi, A.O. (2010). Building Failure and Collapse in Nigeria: the
Influence of the Informal Sector. Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 3, No. 4; December
2010 268 ISSN 1913-9063 E-ISSN 1913-907. Accessed at www.ccsenet.org/jsd
Ganesan, S. (2000). Employment, Technology and Construction Development. Ashgate, UK Gyi,
D.; Gibb, A.; Haslam, R. (1999). “The quality of accident and health data in the construction
industry: Interviews with senior managers”, in Construction Management and Economics
(London, E & FN Spoon), 17, pp. 197-204.
Harvey, M. (2000). Privatization, Fragmentation and Inflexible Flexibilisation: The UK
Construction Industry from the 1970s. Paper presented to the International Conference on
Structural Change in the Building Industry’s Labour Market, Working Relations and
Challenges in the Coming Years. Institut Arbeit und Technik, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, 19-20
Oct.
ICI (International Construction Institute) (2001). Assessing the coverage gap in the construction
industry. Draft report presented to the International Construction Institute Annual Conference,
20-22 June, Geneva.
ILO (1998). World employment Report, 1988-99: Employability in the Global Economy –How
Training Matters, ILO, Geneva.
ILO (2001). The Construction Industry in the Twenty-First Century: Its Image, Employment
Prospects and Skill Requirements, Sectoral Activities Programme, ILO Geneva.
ILO (2002). Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture, International Labour
Office, Geneva.
ILO (2002). Decent Work and the Informal Economy, Report VI, International Labour Conference,
90th Session, ILO, Geneva.
Jewell, C.; Flanagan, R. and Catell, K. (2005). The Effects of the Informal Sector on Construction.
Proceeding Paper as part of Construction Research Congress 2005: Broading Perspectives
Lowe, J.L. (2003). Construction Economics, www.callnetuk.come/home/johnlowe 70/
Lu, Youjie; Fox, Paul W. (2001). The Construction Industry in the 21st Century: Its Image,
Employment Prospects and Skill Requirements: Case Study from China. Unpublished report for
the ILO.
Lu, Y. and Fox, P. W. (2001). The Construction Industry in China: Its Image, Employment
Prospects and Skill Requirements. Working Paper 180, Sectoral Activities Program, Geneva:
ILO.
Mackenzie, S.; Kilpatrick, A.R.; Akintoye, A. (2000). UK Construction Skills Shortage Response
Strategies and an Analysis of Industry Perceptions, in Construction Management and
Economics (London, Taylor & Francis Ltd.), 18, pp. 854-862.
Meagher, K. and Yunusa, M. (1996). Passing the Buck: Structural Adjustment and the Nigerian
Informal Sector. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
Discussion Papers, May.
Mlinga, R. S. (1998). Significance and development of the informal construction sector in
Tanzania. First meeting of CIB Group 29: Construction in Developing Countries, 21–23
September 1998, AICC, Arusha, Tanzania.
Mlinga, R.S. and Wells, J. (2001). Collaboration between formal and informal enterprises in the
Construction sector in Tanzania. Habitat International, 26 (2), pp. 269–280
Mlinga, R.S. and Wells, J. (2002). Collaboration between Formal and Informal Enterprises in the
Construction Sector in Tanzania. Habitat International, 26 (2), pp. 269-80.
Muteta, G. K. (1998). Etude sur L’emploi et les Conditions de Travail Dans le Secteur des
Bâtiments
Mitullah, W.V. and Wachira, I.N. (2003). Informal Labour in the Construction Industry in Kenya:
A Case Study of Nairobi Sectorial Activities Programme Working Paper. International Labour
Office, Geneva.
Ngare, J. M. (1998). Problems facing the informal construction sector in Kenya. CIB Group 29
Meeting: Construction in Developing Countries, AICC, Arusha, Tanzania.
Nwaka (1999). The Urban Informal Sector in Nigeria: Towards Economic Development,
Environmental Health and Social Harmony. 5(6), 78-86
Occupational Outlook Handbook (2010). Based on the 2008-18 employment projections and
includes May 2008 wages from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey.
Accessed on 24/03/2011
Odediran, S.J. (2012). An Appraisal of the Informal Sector Players of the Construction Industry in
Osun State. An Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Quantity Surveying, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Ogunsemi, D.R. and Jagboro, G.O. (2006). Time-cost model for building projects in Nigeria.
Construction Management and Economics, (March) 24, 253–258.
Ogunsemi, D.R. and Aje, I.O. (2005): “A Model for Contractor’s Selection in Nigeria”; The
Quantity Surveyor; 50(1), 3-7.
Oladapo, A.A. (2006). An Investigation into the Use of ICT in the Nigerian Construction Industry.
ITcon, Vol. 12 (2007), pg. 261-
Oladapo, M.A. (2001). A Framework for Cost Management of Low Cost Housing. International
Conference on Spatial Information for Sustainable Development, Nairobi, Kenya, 2–5 October.
Rogerson, C.M. (1998). Recession and Informal Sector in South African. Development Southern
Africa, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp 88-96.
Saboia, J. (1997). Contract Labour in the Brazilian Construction Industry, in Contract Labour:
Looking at issues (Geneva, ILO), Labour Education, 1997/1-2, No. 106/107.
United Nations Centre for Human Settlement (UNCHS) (1996). Policies and Measures for Small
Contractor Development in the Construction Industry, Nairobi.
Uwakweh, B.O. (2000). Conceptual Framework for Motivating Construction Workers in
Developing Countries. 2nd International Conference on Construction in Developing Countries:
Challenges facing the construction industry in developing countries, 15-17 November.
Gabarone, Botswana. http://buildnet.csir.co.za/cdcproc/docs/2nd/uwakweh_bo.pdf
Vaid, K.N. (1999). Contract labour in the construction industry in India, in D.P.A. Naidu (ed.):
Contract labour in South Asia. Geneva, ILO, Bureau for Workers’ Activities.
Wahab, A.B. (2010). Stress Management among Artisans in Construction Industry in Nigeria.
Global Journal of Researches in Engineering, Vol. 10 Issue 1 (Ver 1.0), April 2010, pp. 93-103
Wells, J. (2001). Construction and Capital Formation in less Developed Economies: Unraveling
the Informal Sector in an African City, in Construction Management and Economics (London,
Taylor & Francis Ltd.), 19, pp. 267-274.
Wikipedia (2012). Osun State. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osun_State. Accessed
on 30/08/2012.
Wikipedia (2009). Informal Sector. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informal_Sector.
Accessed on 16/06/2009.
Yuson, A. S. (2001). The Philippine Construction Industry in the 21st Century: Is there a
Globalization of the Local Construction Industry? Report for the ILO (Sectoral Activities
Department) and for the IFBWW.
Sanni, L. and Alabi, F.M. (2008).Traditional Apprenticeship System of Labour Supply for
Housing Production in Saki, Southwestern, Nigeria. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental
Studies and Management Vol.1 No.2 June.
Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (2011). Research on skill formation, enhancement and
refinement of informal sector workers- A case study of masons and tile layers. Consultancy
assignment undertaken on behalf of CHF International, January.
Zylberstajn, H. (1992). The Construction Industry in Brazil: Surviving the Transition to a more
Competitive Market. Sectoral Activities Programme, Working Paper No. 52. Geneva, ILO

Similar Articles

11-20 of 204

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.