Informal construction sector and its effects on the construction industry of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to study the informal construction sector in Sri Lanka, to identify the effects on construction industry and to propose suitable mitigation measures to minimize its effects on the construction industry. The informal construction was defined for this study as the construction works carried out without the use of formal construction agreements and construction works carried out by personal not having professional qualifications. This study was carried out via a questionnaire survey on a sample representing several provinces of Sri Lanka. Three separate types of questionnaires were prepared for respondents representing the public, professionals and non-professionals to ensure effective collection of data and the efficient data analysis. Prior to finalizing the questionnaire survey, a pilot study was conducted in order to get ideas and general opinions of the professionals and public through direct interviews. The questionnaire was prepared to identify whether the construction works fall into the category of informal construction and to find its effects on construction industry. The Significance Index was used to rank the factors that affect the construction industry and statistical software “SPSS” was used in this analysis. Research findings of this study were used to identify the effect of informal construction and to propose suitable mitigation measures to minimize its effects on the Sri Lankan construction industry.