A Study on Techniques Used to Manage Informal Construction Workers in Tanzania

Abstract

The significance of informal construction industry in provision of affordable shelter and employment is paramount and cannot be overstated. However, while commendable efforts are exerted to aggrandize the formal construction sector, no matching measures have been introduced to improve the informal construction sector. Nevertheless, entry barriers, legal pluralism, market unreliability, and incompetent skills continue to derail the practice. In tandem, this research delves into managerial approaches applied on informal construction workers to accentuate pervasive bottlenecks and possible remedies. The study adopted qualitative research strategy under which personal interviews were conducted on informal construction workers and managers traced at the construction sites, whom were obtained through purposive sampling from target population of Kinondoni Municipality. Furthermore, in-depth content analysis was conducted to discern the research issue and gather secondary data. The findings established that 70% of informal construction workers lack permanent premises to effect managerial functions. Moreover, there are no pre-determined management and recruitment criteria, with 60% of the workers possessing primary level of education. Additionally, the practice is plagued by mediocre compensation, lack of career development, health and safety threats, job seasonality, labor mobility, funding hardships, triple constraints overrun, inefficient market penetrability, and non-constructive interactivity.