Examining the Prevalence of Job Stressors Among the South African Construction Workforce

This study examined the prevalence of job stressors among the construction workforce in South Africa. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of organisational, extra-organisational, and personal stressors among the workforce. This exploratory study was conducted on a conveniently sampled population of construction personnel under three categories: construction professionals, construction artisans/tradesmen and construction labourers. A questionnaire survey was distributed to collect quantitative data via Google Forms and email, and some were distributed manually on construction sites to capture the labourers. In this cross-sectional study, and the respondents were individuals employed by civil and building construction companies. Face validity was used, and data were screened to eliminate disengaged responses, missing data, and extreme values. After data screening, descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted in IBM SPSS v29. Cronbach’s Alpha was further be used to assess the reliability of the measures. The findings of the study revealed that extra-orginasational stressors and task stressors such as working at night, multi-tasking, work overload, and tight deadlines were the most prevalent causes of occupational stress. A notable finding was the emerging theme of resilience indicated by the ability to cope under stressful situations and get along with colleagues, in contrast to earlier studies. This study is important because recognising psychological risk factors remains critical, given that stress often precedes common mental health issues. By examining construction-related stressors, this research contributes to developing effective interventions and designing healthier workplaces. However, it was limited to the construction workforce alone.