Abstract
South Africa is an upper-middle-income economy whose growth has under performed throughout the past decade. It was gravely hit by the global financial crisis of 2008 and again in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. The construction sector is characterized by a small number of large-scale firms which lead infrastructure and building development, and a large number of micro, small and medium businesses that work as subcontractors to large contractors. The construction sector employs approximately 1.2 million people or 7.8 per cent of total employment. Of these, 62 per cent work formally and 38 per cent work informally, although it is likely that the number of informal workers is higher.