Best practices for construction companies to improve worker experience and gender equity

Project owners and contractors can roll out 17 interventions to improve worker experience and gender diversity

Improving worker experience and gender diversity in entry-level roles in construction companies can:

Improve retention (e.g., workers staying longer at sites providing timely wages and better facilities)
Improve productivity (e.g., better output in terrace waterproofing by women)
Expand talent pool (e.g., more women in skilled roles)

Construction companies have sub-optimal work experience and low gender equity in entry-levels today because of company and ecosystem-level challenges:

Companies place limited priority on improving worker experience due to competing business priorities
Companies place limited priority on gender diversity due to low perceived business benefits
Companies hire entry-level workers as casual labour without defined terms/ contract (e.g., leaves, benefits)
Women do not progress into skilled roles due to limited access to male-dominated on-the-job training

Some construction roles are physically challenging for women (e.g., steel work involving heavy lifting)
Many workers do not have labour cards due to low awareness and lack of documents (e.g., work proof)
Families do not allow women to migrate for construction work, especially unaccompanied by male family members
Women do not opt for skilled roles due to internalised gender norms that deem skilled roles unsuitable for them

As of 2025, the construction industry has a gender diversity of 12%, and has high potential for employing more women in entry-level roles in three areas:

Buildings construction accounts for ~78% of the on-site workforce but has low gender diversity at ~10%
Unskilled roles account for ~60% of the on-site workforce and have lower barriers to entry for women than skilled roles, but have low gender diversity at ~15-20%
Semi-skilled/ skilled roles account for ~40% of the on-site workforce but have very low gender diversity at <5%, with potential to add women in roles with lower entry barriers (e.g., interior painting, tiling)

Project owners and contractors can follow a 4-phased approach to improve worker experience and gender diversity in entry-level roles:

Establish foundations (1–6 months): Initiate change by ensuring washroom access for women, capturing workforce data by gender, and briefing workers on labour card benefits
Enable diversity (6–12 months): Support women’s entry into on-site roles by prioritising them in easy-to-fill roles, encouraging male workers to refer their spouses, and steering contractors toward inclusive workplace practices
Redefine norms (12–24 months): Promote fair workplace practices through minimum-wage display boards, photo audits of facilities, and sensitisation sessions on unconscious gender biases
Embed diversity (24–36 months): Sustain and scale progress through in-house upskilling pathways for women and diversity targets in government projects

Ecosystem stakeholders can focus on four areas to improve worker experience and gender diversity in construction:

Improve skilled women-worker pipeline: Fund or facilitate women’s skilling programmes in construction trades, and run campaigns showcasing women in skilled roles
Improve workplace conditions: Encourage greater transparency on on-site facilities and workforce gender composition through regular data disclosures
Improve access to benefits: Support labour card awareness campaigns and registration drives for workers, and simplify registration and claims processes
Strengthen the business case: Fund or conduct pilots that build evidence on the business benefits of hiring women and formalising the workforce

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