Migration and Employment in the Construction Industry Pilot Study

This report outlines the findings of a pilot study of the construction industry in Johannesburg, and the impacts which migration from the region has had on the sector. The focus of the study is on labour conditions and standards. The aim of this initial pilot study, conducted from November 2009 to March 2010, was to identify key issues affecting migrant as well as local workers in the construction sector, and thereby to inform further research, including in other parts of the country. The study was conducted as a collaboration between the Forced Migration Studies Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand and the Department of Labour.

The study surveyed 120 construction workers in the Braamfontein and Rosebank areas of Johannesburg, including 72 foreign citizens and 48 South African citizens (of whom 8 were born in another country but have since become South African citizens). The focus was on manual and semiskilled work, rather than on professionals. 47 currently ‘employed’ respondents were identified and surveyed on construction sites where they were working, while 73 currently ‘unemployed’ respondents were surveyed at recruitment sites. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen South African and foreign workers as well as with employers, union representatives, a representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and a labour sub-contractor. Neither the survey nor the in-depth interviews are statistically representative of the broader population of construction workers and construction-related institutions in Johannesburg, given the small sample sizes and our convenience sampling process. Therefore, the findings should be seen as indicative of probable trends and concerns, but they cannot be generalised to the entire industry in Johannesburg, Gauteng or the country.