Contributing factors to turnover intentions of early career project management professionals in construction

The construction industry is facing global skills shortages, with demand for certain roles (such as project managers) projected to outstrip supply over the next decade. With the industry serving as the backbone of the economy in many countries, this projected lack of skilled construction professionals poses dire consequences. This qualitative study investigated the early career transition of project management (PM) professionals into the construction industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 employer representatives and 20 early career professionals to ascertain the factors affecting the turnover intentions of early career PM professionals in construction. From the perspective of the early participants in this study, the major factors affecting their intentions to leave were related to workplace culture: (i) bad workplace behaviour; (ii) high levels of work-related stress; and (iii) poor work-life balance. While employers also noted that bullying and long working hours contributed to early career PM professionals’ intentions to leave the industry, they believed that the key contributing factor was that young employees were seeking higher salaries. These findings on the need to improve workplace culture have the potential to positively influence the issue of early career retention within the construction industry.