Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all industries globally, including the construction
industry. As a result, the construction industry is experiencing several challenges in
terms of delivering projects on time and on budget. However, a few studies have shown
that the COVID-19 pandemic has a positive impact on the construction industry. Hence,
analysing the issues caused by COVID-19 is vital to lessen the effects of the pandemic.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the construction
industry. Accordingly, a detailed literature review was carried out to gain a theoretical
understanding of the topic. A quantitative research approach was used to collect data.
The questionnaire survey was conducted using snowball sampling with a total of one
108 respondents. Statistical Package for Social Science" (SPSS) was used to analyse the
collected data. The findings revealed 86 negative impacts for the construction industry
owing to the pandemic, which was classified as resources-related issues, project
management issues, quality issues, financial issues, contractual issues, safety issues,
technology-related issues, and other issues for the construction industry. An increase in
the price of materials and equipment, project cost, exchange rate, and inflation rate were
noted as significant negative impacts to the construction industry. The research further
identified twelve (12) favourable impacts for the construction industry as a result of the
pandemic. Encouraging risk assessment and collaboration and encouraging Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) were highlighted as the significant positive impacts.
Therefore, strategies need to be identified to neutralise the negative impacts using the
positive impacts caused by the pandemic. This study contributes to the body of
knowledge to advance the construction industry towards the next level during the post-
COVID-19 scenario, which will be the focus of the next phase of this research.
