Improvement measures to achieve sustainable construction labor performance

Construction industry is the largest industrial employer of the world. However, construction labor suffers from declining productivity, job satisfaction and wellbeing. Given its volume and labor extensiveness, measures undertaken to improve labor sustainability of the construction industry would have high impact for the future. To improve the sustainability of labor performance, this paper suggests decision-making measures at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels. Data is generated through targeted interviews of the top management of the five biggest Norwegian construction contractors. The measures suggested by the interviewees are analyzed and complemented with theory through a systematic literature review, resulting in the development of 45 measures to achieve sustainable labor performance at strategic, tactical, and operational decision-making levels. Due to strict labor laws and regulations, some frequently reported measures in literature do not hold relevance to the Norwegian construction industry. However, the quality of data and unique position of the Norwegian construction industry magnifies its relevance to the global construction industry.