Role of human resource practitioners towards involvement of local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to identify the role of human resource practitioner in recruiting local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry and to identify if there is any relationship between the role of human resource practitioner and involvement of local workforce in the Malaysian construction industry. The construction industry has contributed towards the large number of workforce in Malaysia. However, the involvement of the local workforce in the construction field is still currently very low. It is beyond doubt that the economic growth of the country has increased rapidly due to the recruitment of migrant workers in Malaysia. Specifically, by resolving the workforce deficiencies in selected sectors of the economy, it still gives disadvantages to the country such as in the reduction of employment opportunities among local workers. In this study, some of the measures are identified to manage the shortages in the local workforce. Human resource practitioners are known to be responsible for decisions related to recruiting workers. Thus, they play a vital role in order to resolve this problem by implementing an effective selection and recruitment method, provide training to ensure workers are equipped with skills and knowledge, as well as execute effective policies and procedures. The data is collected from 100 respondents among construction companies located in Kuala Lumpur. The data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique in assessing the measurement and structural models. The result shows that there is a significant positive relationship between selection and recruitment as well as employee’s skills with involvement of local workforce.