Motivation and personal demographics of civil engineers: case study of a Chinese state-owned enterprise

• The levels of importance of different motivational factors for civil engineers in Chinese SOEs was analyzed. • The relationship between different motivational factors and the demographic characteristics of civil engineers in Chinese SOEs was examined. • The most important motivational factors perceived by civil engineers in Chinese SOEs are “opportunity for promotion”, “salary raise”, and “recognition and compliments from superior”. Employee motivation constitutes a fundamental pillar of sustainable workforce development, critically influencing employee satisfaction and performance. This study analyzes the importance of motivational factors for civil engineers in Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to address talent retention challenges within high-risk infrastructure sectors - a crucial determinant of organizational sustainability. Through quantitative analysis of civil engineers in a Beijing-based SOE using structured questionnaires and bivariate methods, we investigated relationships between motivational perceptions and demographic characteristics. Findings identify "opportunity for promotion", "salary raise", and "recognition from superiors" as predominant motivators. These insights directly inform sustainable human resource strategies: demographic-tailored incentives enhance retention, reduce turnover costs, and stabilize project teams, thereby supporting environmental and social sustainability objectives through consistent engineering execution.