Manpower is undoubtedly a valuable asset upon which the construction industry
depends. Rapid changes of the economy, working arrangements, and technology
in construction advocate reliable estimations o f manpower demand to lessen
future skills imbalance. Forecasting o f the skill requirements appears to supply
the means to an adequate resolution as there is no doubt that to facilitate human
resources planning and budgeting, an organisation must precisely and in advance
be able to determine the demand for personnel in each o f the various disciplines.
However, the reliability o f the current construction manpower demand forecasts
in Hong Kong has proved to be unsatisfactory. A solid understanding o f future
skill needs for the development o f the industry is still lacking. The overall aim
o f this research is, therefore, to develop advanced manpower demand forecasting
models, at both project level and industry level, to facilitate manpower planning
for the construction industry o f Hong Kong.