Effect of COVID-19 on Construction Industry in Mumbai

ABSTRACT

The pandemic has hit many businesses from March 2020.This effect remains over a year and may continue further depending on the efficacy of the vaccine and the variants produced by the virus. The construction industry which is completely dependent on labour (unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers) has had an impact. We studied this impact and analysed the main causes of the damage. This work is on two incidences, the first and the second lockdown. Areas selected in Mumbai city. The sector has been divided in three verticals, Real Estate (Organized), Real Estate (Un-Organized) and the Supplier Segment. Our study reveals an impact due to three main reasons, labour movement, material cost and lock-down restrictions. It is clearly visible that the movement of labour is better in the organized sector than the un-organized and supplier segment. This leads to the fact that we as a country, are moving towards industrialization of the construction segment, where work force is preferring facilities and benefits over pay. A positive change displayed in our study and the process towards westernization is certainly a positive way forward. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.