Exploring Social Value Prospects of Australia's Construction Industry Towards the Aboriginal Communities, Under COVID-19 Recovery Efforts

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing economic and social challenges throughout the world. The unemployment rate in Australia has skyrocketed due to the country's first recession in 40 years. Australia's governments have responded by investing heavily in construction projects that stimulate the economy and can also be expanded into modern public procurement policies targeting specific groups, such as the conservative Aboriginal communities. However, a number of asymmetries between policy makers and practitioners regarding the implementation of social procurement policies. By surveying Aboriginal construction workers and correlating the obtained responses with their social value expectations and employer preferences, the paper argues that private corporations can build social value prospects for conservative employees when they proactively introduce employment policies (such as rewarding remuneration and career development attributes) and cultural benefit strategies (such as all-inclusive and ethnically diverse workplaces). To ensure a rapid recovery from the economic setbacks caused by the pandemic, it is essential to carry out such studies to estimate how enhanced infrastructure spending in Australia can contribute to sustainable social progress. © 2022 Seventh Sense Research Group®