Condition of Construction Workers:Empirical Evidence from Gandhinagar City of Gujarat

Abstract

In developing countries, construction provides much needed work opportunities for some of the poorest and most marginalized sections of society. In India it is estimated that up to 30 per cent of the construction workforce are women. They are integrated into the building workforce at the bottom end of the industry, as unskilled workers or head-load carriers. The proportion of unskilled workers in the total construction workforce is reasonably higher. In this industry, demand-supply of workers is managed through the contract system. Contractor and sub-contractor provide all facilities and instructions to the workers during construction work. In many respect, working and living conditions of construction workers are very different from the other workers due to the migratory nature of work. This study focused on Gandhinagar city, capital of Gujarat. The study based on primary data collected through stratified random sampling and observation techniques. From the analysis of the data collected it is clear that the working and living condition of workers in construction sector is not up to the mark as the entire surroundings are unhygienic. Because of the migratory nature of work most of the construction workers lives in temporary shelters built on the construction site