Abstract

The study examines the effect of construction method selection on labour requirements in building projects, with emphasis on how the choice of construction techniques influences the number, type, skill level, and utilization of workers required during project implementation. Construction methods determine how building components are produced, assembled, and installed, and different methods may require varying levels of manual labour, specialized skills, supervision, and coordination. Appropriate selection of construction methods is therefore important for effective labour planning and efficient project execution. The study will assess selected construction methods and determine their labour requirements at different stages of building projects. Attention will be given to conventional construction, prefabricated components, modular methods, cast-in-place construction, and other commonly used techniques as applicable to the selected projects. Labour requirements will be assessed based on the number of workers, categories of labour, skill requirements, working hours, task allocation, labour productivity, and duration required to complete major construction activities. A descriptive comparative research design will be adopted for the study. An appropriate sample of selected building projects, contractors, site supervisors, quantity surveyors, and construction workers will be selected using a suitable sampling technique. Data will be collected through site observations, project records, labour schedules, construction activity assessments, questionnaires, interviews, and review of relevant project documentation. The collected data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while comparative and appropriate inferential techniques will be applied to examine differences in labour requirements among construction methods. The study is expected to reveal differences in labour requirements across selected construction methods. Methods involving greater prefabrication, mechanization, or standardized components may require fewer workers for certain activities but may increase the need for specialized skills and technical supervision. Conventional methods may require greater numbers of general construction workers for labour-intensive activities. The extent of these differences is expected to vary according to project size, construction complexity, availability of equipment, worker skills, material availability, site conditions, and level of mechanization. The findings will be useful to architects, quantity surveyors, contractors, project managers, construction planners, developers, and other professionals involved in building project delivery. The study may provide useful information for estimating labour requirements, preparing construction programmes, allocating workers, planning training needs, and selecting construction methods that are suitable for available labour resources. It may also support more effective project planning by highlighting the relationship between construction technology and workforce requirements. The study will conclude by establishing the effect of construction method selection on labour requirements in building projects and emphasizing the importance of considering workforce availability and skill requirements when selecting construction techniques. It is recommended that contractors and project planners assess labour availability, productivity, skill requirements, equipment needs, project duration, and construction complexity before selecting a construction method. Further studies should examine labour requirements associated with specific construction methods across different building types and project scales.

Keywords: Construction method selection, labour requirements, building projects, construction methods, labour productivity, construction workers, skilled labour, unskilled labour, workforce planning, construction technology, labour utilization, construction planning, building construction, project management, construction efficiency.