MULTI-SKILLING BARRIERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN NORTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The need to improve productivity and cost effectiveness has made some companies to adopt a multi-skilling labour strategy where workers can work across their traditional occupational boundaries. The study assessed the problems and barriers of multiskilling using a cross-sectional survey of construction workers in some selected cities in north-western Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was used in the analysis. Results show that lack of training and limit on human skill retention by workers are among the major barriers of multi-skilling. It was concluded that multi-skilling can lead to improved productivity and cost effectiveness if these barriers are minimised. It was recommended that construction companies should provide adequate training for their workers so that they can be multi-skilled.