Issues caused by employment of migrant workers in the Sri Lankan construction industry

Abstract

Construction is one of the industries with a very high growth rate in Sri Lanka. With this growth, recent decades have seen a considerable rise in the number of migrant workers because of globalisation, wars, conflicts, poverty, and economic developments. While this wave offers the construction industry, organisations, and migrants many benefits, it also has drawbacks. Due to several reasons, migration has an impact on the Sri Lankan construction industry. However, this migration has several negative consequences and difficulties for the industry. Therefore, it is vital to recognise them and offer solutions. This paper discussed issues caused by the employment of migrant workers in the Sri Lankan construction industry, and research aimed to develop strategies to mitigate the issues caused by migrant workers in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry. The study used a mixed-methods approach, collecting data through questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. Through a questionnaire survey, the research findings identified the top 13 issues brought on by the employment of migrant workers in Sri Lanka. "Communication issues," "Language barriers," "Competition for jobs," "Outflow of currency," and "Spread of Diseases" are the top five most important issues. Through expert interviews, the definitive significant management methods for those identified significant concerns were developed. The suggested solutions are divided into two categories: Strategies that construction organisations can use to overcome the issues and Strategies that the Sri Lankan government can use to overcome the issues Implementing training sessions, forming support groups, improving visual communication, modifying Sri Lankan government rules and regulations, and promoting an open Health and safety culture are the key strategies suggested in this study.