Productivity Pressure and Risk Perception Among a Multinational Construction Workforce in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi construction industry relies heavily on a multinational workforce, raising safety concerns under high productivity demands. Although productivity pressure is widely assumed to influence workers’ risk perception and unsafe behavior, empirical evidence directly testing this assumption in culturally diverse construction settings remains limited. This study examines whether perceived productivity pressure predicts risk perception among construction workers from different national backgrounds working on the same project. Survey data were collected from 247 construction workers representing five nationalities on a university construction site in Saudi Arabia. Correlation analysis, regression modeling, and linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the relationship between productivity pressure and risk perception while controlling for age and nationality. The results show that perceived productivity pressure does not significantly influence workers’ risk perception, and this relationship is not moderated by age or nationality. Although cultural adjustment differed significantly across national groups, nationality did not alter the pressure risk perception relationship. These findings challenge prevailing assumptions in construction safety research and suggest that productivity pressure may affect unsafe behavior through mechanisms other than cognitive risk appraisal. The study contributes empirical evidence from a controlled multicultural setting and highlights the need for safety interventions that extend beyond productivity pressure management to address decision-making processes, communication, and risk assessment competencies within multinational construction workforces.