Cultivating standard workers in construction: a tripartite evolutionary game analysis

Purpose The shortage of skilled workers has become one of the barriers in the transition toward construction industrialization. This study aims to deconstruct the complex behavioral interactions among key stakeholders – general contractors, labor subcontractors and construction workers – to promote workforce cultivation. By introducing government intervention as a regulatory variable, the research seeks to design a mechanism to solve the problem of skilled workers shortage in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This study employs evolutionary game theory to develop a tripartite model involving general contractors, labor subcontractors and workers. Two distinct scenarios – with and without government involvement – are analyzed to determine the evolutionary stable strategies. Furthermore, MATLAB-based numerical simulations are conducted to simulate the situation of stakeholders' behaviors in cultivating standard workers. Findings Government intervention can promote the cultivation of standard workers, but its effectiveness depends on how policies are implemented. Governments should adopt a prudent and rational approach when deciding whether to focus support on labor subcontractors and workers or to incentivize all relevant stakeholders. Given that stakeholders differ in their sensitivity to government incentives and penalties, targeted and differentiated measures should be designed to improve policy implementation effectiveness. Originality/value This study addresses a critical gap in the literature: previous research has not examined construction worker cultivation through the lens of the three-tier market structure – comprising general contractors, labor subcontractors and workers. Theoretically, it contributes to the body of knowledge by explaining the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry. Practically, it provides evidence-based policy recommendations for the government to solve the problem of promoting the cultivation of standard workers.