The global construction sector has an acute gender, race and ethnicity equity problem. In the Indo-Pacific countries of India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, the labour market participation of women in construction is between 1% and 12%. Racial, ethnic, and religious minorities –among other excluded groups – are underrepresented in construction, and those who do work in the sector are concentrated in untrained laborer roles, as opposed to skilled trades and professional roles.

At the same time, there is a global shortage of skilled tradespeople, engineers, and architects in construction, which includes the Indo-Pacific region. Many shovel-ready or planned infrastructure and housing projects cannot find and attract skilled workers.

Construction shortages in North America, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific share similar dynamics:

• Experienced construction workers are retiring, and not enough skilled tradespeople are joining the industry to replace them;

• Wages are not competitive with other sectors;

• Pay is significantly lower for women and minorities;

• Worker safety is often not prioritized;

• Skilled training programs have declined owing to fewer industry entrants;

• Labour productivity suffers when untrained workers are hired in place of skilled tradespeople; and

• There are reported high levels of gender based violence against women and discrimination against underrepresented groups.

Taken together, these dynamics confer a poor reputation on the construction sector, which deters women, underrepresented groups, and others from joining it.

In response to significant state infrastructure spending and housing construction demand, major investments are being made in the Indo-Pacific construction sector. With respect to sector growth, for example, it is projected that India alone could add 30 million construction jobs by 2030.

In the context of climate change, the Indo-Pacific construction sector is keen to adopt best Green Building practices to build sustainable infrastructure that meets key climate change objectives, such as reducing greenhouses gases, increasing energy efficiency, and conserving natural resources. Implementing sustainable infrastructure requires specialized knowledge and skills, and the lack of technical expertise in areas such as renewable energy, green building design, and climate-resilient infrastructure, hinders the planning and execution of sustainable projects in the Indo-Pacific.

Development Challenges – Indo-Pacific Construction Sector

Innovative solutions are required to address the Indo-Pacific development challenges of inclusive economic development, reduced gender based violence, improved workplace conditions and protections, and the adoption of sustainable infrastructure. These solutions must address pay and representation inequity for women and underrepresented groups in the Indo-Pacific construction sector, a sector that is experiencing an acute shortage of skilled tradespeople and poor labour productivity. Buoyed by the lack of skilled trades training programs, untrained laborers are performing work that should be done by skilled tradespeople. This results in poor work quality, lengthy delays, and the inability to adopt best practices in sustainable infrastructure.

Participation of Women and Underrepresented Groups in the Indo-Pacific Construction Sector

There are immense gender pay and participation gaps in the global construction sector, which includes the Indo-Pacific region. Women comprise only 1% to 12% of the Indo-Pacific construction workforce, are paid significantly less than their male counterparts, and experience high rates of discrimination and harassment, which impose significant barriers to entering the sector.

While comparable data on the workforce participation of underrepresented groups in Indo-Pacific countries is challenging to obtain, there are long-standing ethnic, caste, and religious divides which impose barriers to full participation in the labour market. In the construction sector, these groups are severely underrepresented – especially in management roles.

It is clear that for women and underrepresented groups, the right to full economic participation in the construction sector has not been achieved.

Gender Based Violence, Workplace Conditions, and Worker Rights in the Indo-Pacific

Construction Sector

Article 23 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to work, and without discrimination, the right to equal pay for equal work worthy of human dignity.

Women and underrepresented groups in the Indo-Pacific do not receive equal pay for equal work in the construction sector. Women experience high rates of gender based violence, and racial, religious, and ethnic minorities experience high rates of discrimination and harassment.

Gender-based violence is a pervasive issue in the global construction sector. The construction sector is male-dominated, and the under representation of women contributes to a culture that tolerates and perpetuates gender-based violence. Hierarchical structures and power imbalances, coupled with gender, race, ethnic and religious stereotypes, reinforce discriminatory behaviors and contribute to an environment that is hostile to women and underrepresented groups.

Underreporting in the construction sector is a significant barrier to assessing the true extent of gender-based violence and discrimination against racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Victims fear retaliation, stigma, or a lack of support, leading to a reluctance to report incidents.

Adoption of Sustainable Infrastructure and Labour Productivity in the Indo-Pacific

Construction Sector

A key challenge for the Indo-Pacific construction sector is the adoption of environmentally sustainable construction processes. The shortage of skilled tradespeople compromises the ability of the sector to fully adopt sustainable practices, which has significant implications for both labour productivity and the adoption of Green Building best practices (a resource-efficient method of construction that produces healthier buildings which have less impact on the environment and cost less to maintain).

Labor Productivity - A shortage of skilled tradespeople leads to delays in construction projects. Without enough qualified workers, tasks take longer to complete, causing overall project timelines to extend. This results in increased costs and penalties for failing to meet deadlines.

Quality of Workmanship - The shortage of skilled tradespeople leads to a decline in the quality of workmanship. Rushed or inadequately trained workers are more prone to making errors, resulting in defects that can compromise the structural integrity and safety of buildings.

Adoption of Green Building Best Practices - Green building practices often require specialized knowledge and skills, such as working with energy-efficient materials, installing renewable energy systems, and implementing sustainable construction techniques. The shortage of skilled tradespeople with expertise in these areas impedes the widespread adoption of green building practices.

Training and Education Gaps - The construction industry needs to adapt to new technologies and environmentally friendly building methods. The shortage of skilled workers slows the industry's ability to train and educate personnel on the latest green building practices, hindering the transition to more sustainable construction methods.

Innovation and Technology Adoption - Skilled workers are essential for the successful adoption of new technologies and innovative construction methods. The shortage of skilled tradespeople may result in a resistance to adopting green technologies and practices due to a lack of familiarity or expertise.

Regulatory Compliance - Green building often involves adherence to specific environmental and energy efficiency standards. The shortage of skilled labor makes it challenging for construction firms to consistently meet these standards, leading to potential legal and regulatory issues.

Solution: Empower Women and Underrepreseted Groups by Building Equitbale Construction Projects from the Ground-Up

To improve workplace equity in the Indo-Pacific construction sector, experts in construction, human resources, organizational culture, policy, and law need to think outside the box. Instead of trying to change toxic work environments from within, empower change for women and underrepresented groups by building equitable construction projects and skilled training programs from the ground-up.

Partner with the construction sector and pilot the equitable recruitment and staffing of skilled workers for shovel-ready and planned construction projects, where women and racial and ethnic minorities reflect the populations they serve at all organizational levels. Pilot gender, race, and ethnicity equitable skilled trades training programs to help the Indo-Pacific construction sector increase its capacity to accelerate the adoption of sustainable infrastructure, reduce labour market shortages, and improve labour productivity. Work to foster an antiharassment work culture for each construction project and skilled training program that reduces gender based violence and discrimination against racial, rel.igious, or ethnic minorities.

Establish equity at all workforce levels of construction projects and skilled trades training programs – which includes leadership positions at the executive level – and help women and underrepresented groups access senior management and decision making roles in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

Equitable construction projects and skilled training programs will support sustained economic growth and expand Indo-Pacific labour capacity, by creating a durable and equitable domestic supply of skilled tradespeople and managers who can meet the current and future needs of the construction sector.

To reduce gender based violence and discrimination against underrepresented groups, it is essential that equitable construction projects and skilled trades training programs foster an antiharassment workplace culture. An antiharassment workplace culture involves the development of values, ethics, and principles – along with difficult conversations – that enhance the overall harassment literacy of a project or program — which is the ability to identify forms of harassment and develop strategies to counter them.

With respect to on-site safety, working conditions can vary greatly. Equitable construction projects and skilled training programs should pursue worksite best practices, to ensure that workplace conditions are in compliance with regulations that govern training, equipment safety, health and wellness, safety inspections and audits, and communication and reporting systems.

Work must also be undertaken on legal initiatives that strengthen legislation on gender based violence, discrimination, worker rights and workplace conditions in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

It is imperative that equitable construction projects commit to eco-friendly Green Building processes and methods, where sustainable approaches are applied to a project’s life cycle (siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition).

Outcomes

Equitable construction projects and skilled training programs will produce key outcomes related to inclusive economic development, reduced gender based violence, reduced harassment against underrepresented groups, improved workplace conditions and protections, and the adoption of sustainable infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific.

Ultimate Outcomes

-Enhanced participation and decision making power for women and underrepresented groups in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Reduced gender based violence and harassment and strengthened workplace conditions and rights for women, underrepresented groups, and all construction sector workers in the Indo-Pacific.

-Increased capacity of the Indo-Pacific construction sector to adopt Green Building processes and sustainable infrastructure.

Intermediate Outcomes

-Enhanced acceptance of women and underrepresented groups in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Increased awareness among women and underrepresented groups about careers in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Improved antiharassment work culture for women and racial, ethnic, and religious minority groups in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Strengthened legislation and regulations on workplace conditions and worker rights in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Improved adoption of Green Building best practices in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

Immediate Outcomes

-Increased access for women and underrepresented groups to living wage Indo-Pacific construction sector employment projects and skilled trades training programs.

-Enhanced legal and regulatory scrutiny of worker rights and workplace conditions in the Indo-Pacific construction sector.

-Increased number of Green Building projects in the Indo-Pacific.

Bottom Line

The persistence of pay and representation gaps for women and underrepresented groups in the Indo-Pacific construction sector is in part explained by the inability of organizations to effect equitable change from within; for example, decades of corporate gender, race, and minority equity programming has failed to close global pay and representation gaps.

Rather than attempt to change the Indo-Pacific construction sector from within, be innovative, empower change for women and underrepresented groups, and work with EQiSpace to build equitable construction projects and skilled trades training programs from the ground-up.