Review of Shortage of Skilled Craftsmen in Small and Medium Construction Firms in Nigeria

Craftsmen in the construction industry play a very crucial role to the survival and growth of the industry as they are mostly engaged in the practical realization of construction projects. As a country endowed with skilled manpower, the construction industry in Nigeria can best be described as ironic. Though on the one hand, it was acclaimed to be the highest employer of the nation’s workforce after agriculture, while on the other, it is faced with challenges in technical skilled craftsmen shortage which affects organization’s productivity, quality of work, duration of projects and on firm’s profits. Not much research has examined the shortage of skilled workforce in the perspective of small and medium construction firms (SMCFs) in Nigeria. Majority of earlier research has focused mainly on large construction firms. The purpose of this study is to carry out a detailed review of archival documents aimed at examining the shortage of skilled craftsmen in the construction industry, particularly in small and medium construction firms in Nigeria. This study adds to existing body of knowledge by exposing the reasons for shortage of skilled craftsmen in the construction industry in the perspective of small and medium construction firms in Nigeria. Keywords— Small and Medium Firms; Human Resource Management; Service Organizations; Construction Firms; Nigeria