
Different tasks involved in the construction of a building need many types of craftsmen from various trades. These workers may be from the same trade or may be from a combination of many different trades. A crew can be described as a group of workers. A work package can then be allocated to and accomplished by an individual worker or a crew. Again, reinforcement can be sub-sub divided into cutting, bending, placing in place, etc.Ī building construction project can be divided into many work packages. For example, beam concreting can be divided into the formwork, reinforcements, and concreting. These systems can be separated into many other subsystems and sub-sub systems. Therefore, the labour component is considered a very important area in a construction project.Ī building is a very complex product, made up of many different systems, such as the structural system, exterior enclosure system, interior finishes, plumbing, and HVAC system, etc.

The labor cost element of a building construction project may vary from 30 to 50%, and sometimes can be as high as 60% of the total construction cost. The construction industry, to which these workers belong, is one of the most non-automated or labor-intensive industries in the world.

However, a building still remains as one of the few handcrafted products put together piece by piece by skilled and unskilled workers. In the present fast-paced highly industrialized age, many of the products in the market are increasingly being mass-produced in factories by machines.
