Impact of the Internet on the Recruitment of Skilled Labor
IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON THE
RECRUITMENT OF SKILLED LABOR
CARL T. HAAS, PH.D., P.E.
ROBERT W. GLOVER, PH.D.
RICHARD L. TUCKER, PH.D., P.E.
R. KEVIN TERRIEN, P.E.
CE N T E R F O R CO N S T R U C T I O N IN D U S T R Y ST U D I E S
RE P O R T NO. 17
THE UN I V E R S I T Y O F TE XA S A T AU S T I Nii
IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON THE RECRUITMENT OF
SKILLED LABOR by Carl T. Haas, Ph.D., P.E.
Robert W. Glover, Ph.D.
Richard L. Tucker, Ph.D., P.E.
R. Kevin Terrien, P.E.
A Report of
Center for Construction Industry Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
Under the Guidance of the
Workforce Thrust Team
Austin, Texas
February 2001 v
Executive Summary
Given the explosive growth of the Internet, the strong economy and record low unemployment rates at the end of the 1990s, construction organizations are increasing their use of the Internet as a recruitment tool. The growth of the Internet in the United
States is increasing and more Americans are gaining Internet access. The Internet economy is changing the way business is conducted by opening new avenues of communication, collaboration and coordination between consumers, businesses and trading partners.
Recruiting using the Internet is growing and the construction industry has been slow to adapt. Advantages of the Internet recruitment include lower recruiting costs, faster recruiting cycle, higher caliper recruits and increased audience reach. Potential barriers to Internet recruitment include the digital divide, limited Internet access, usage problems and flawed infrastructure. It is premature to assess the role of the Internet and the controversy surrounding union salting.
Construction organizations use the Internet for recruitment of professional, executive and administrative staff. Construction organizations could expand their
Internet recruiting strategies to include the skilled labor workforce to attract workers and obtain a
RECRUITMENT OF SKILLED LABOR
CARL T. HAAS, PH.D., P.E.
ROBERT W. GLOVER, PH.D.
RICHARD L. TUCKER, PH.D., P.E.
R. KEVIN TERRIEN, P.E.
CE N T E R F O R CO N S T R U C T I O N IN D U S T R Y ST U D I E S
RE P O R T NO. 17
THE UN I V E R S I T Y O F TE XA S A T AU S T I Nii
IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON THE RECRUITMENT OF
SKILLED LABOR by Carl T. Haas, Ph.D., P.E.
Robert W. Glover, Ph.D.
Richard L. Tucker, Ph.D., P.E.
R. Kevin Terrien, P.E.
A Report of
Center for Construction Industry Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
Under the Guidance of the
Workforce Thrust Team
Austin, Texas
February 2001 v
Executive Summary
Given the explosive growth of the Internet, the strong economy and record low unemployment rates at the end of the 1990s, construction organizations are increasing their use of the Internet as a recruitment tool. The growth of the Internet in the United
States is increasing and more Americans are gaining Internet access. The Internet economy is changing the way business is conducted by opening new avenues of communication, collaboration and coordination between consumers, businesses and trading partners.
Recruiting using the Internet is growing and the construction industry has been slow to adapt. Advantages of the Internet recruitment include lower recruiting costs, faster recruiting cycle, higher caliper recruits and increased audience reach. Potential barriers to Internet recruitment include the digital divide, limited Internet access, usage problems and flawed infrastructure. It is premature to assess the role of the Internet and the controversy surrounding union salting.
Construction organizations use the Internet for recruitment of professional, executive and administrative staff. Construction organizations could expand their
Internet recruiting strategies to include the skilled labor workforce to attract workers and obtain a
References: Barua, Anitesh; and Whinston, Andrew B. (2000). Measuring The Internet Economy. The University of Texas at Austin and Cisco Systems to Combat 30 Year Unemployment Rate Low.” March 3, 2000. Chmielewski, B.D nd Annual Meeting of AACE International, June 28-July 1, 1998 FMI. (1999) “The 1999 U.S. Construction Industry Training Report”. Hornberger, F Netscape. www.netscape.com. December 3, 2000. 49 Parrish Rotella, Katie. “The Joys of E-Recruiting.” Plumbing & Mechanical. Volume 16, Number 12, February 1, 2000 Research Inc. April 11, 2000.