Cape Town - "Building a Sustainable South Africa" is the theme of the 109th annual Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) Congress, taking place from September 21 to 23 at The Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth.
“Under this year’s theme we hope to come together in order to discuss ways of increasing investment in the sector, particularly residential buildings and public sector buildings such as schools and medical facilities,” said MBSA executive director Tumi Dlamini.
“The construction sector, the building industry in particular, is crucial for creating jobs as it is not overly reliant on skilled and/or highly skilled workers."
About 74% of the formal workforce in the sector are classified as either semi-skilled or unskilled. In the total economy, this ratio is only around 40%.
"This means that any increase in activity levels within the sector can fairly quickly translate into higher employment, since a lack of skills does not impose a formidable constraint as may be the case in other sectors in the economy," said Dlamini.
"Moreover, increased activity levels and employment in the construction sector, can have substantial multiplier effects throughout the economy.”
Speakers at the event will include Roger Flanagan, professor of construction management at the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading in the UK, Prof. John Smallwood, Professor and Head of the department of construction management at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Dr Azar Jammine, director and chief economist of Econometrix.
For more information visit http://www.mbsacongress.co.za
- Fin24