Problems Faced By Contractors in Managing Foreign Workers On Construction Sites

Construction industry is one of the sectors that attracted a large number of foreign workers working at construction sites. However, the problems related to the employment of foreign workers are numerous. The purpose of this study are to identify the employment procedures of foreign workers, to study the worker’s welfare facilities, to identify the problems faced by the contractors in managing the foreign workers on site and also to identify the impact of the employment of foreign workers at site. A total of 100 sets of questionnaires have been distributed to the contractors at construction sites around Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Questionnaires forms contain selection of short and predetermined as well as likert scale answers. The data was analyzed using average index method and frequency analysis. From the findings, the results show that the worker’s facilities provided by the contractors are on the average. However, the contractors have no problems in managing the foreign workers on site in terms of productivity, communication and also health. The applications of the safety procedures need to be improved to achieve zero accidents at site. From the study, it was also found that several issues and problems do arise from the employment of the foreign workers. Therefore, the services of the foreign workers in the construction industry need to be reviewed.