Labor Trafficking in Construction: Is Working in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster a Risk Factor?

Author: Barrick, Kelle; Pfeffer, Rebecca; Tueller, Stephen; Bradshaw, Michael & Aranguren, Natasha

Abstract: The construction industry appears to experience high rates of labor trafficking and other labor exploitation. Additionally, anecdotal evidence suggests that workplace abuses and exploitation are particularly common among construction workers who work in recovery and reconstruction work in post-natural disaster settings. This study, part of a larger study focused on estimating the prevalence of labor trafficking among construction workers in Houston, explores whether there is a difference in the rate of experiencing labor trafficking among construction workers who have worked in post-disaster settings from those who have not. This study finds that the rate of lifetime labor trafficking prevalence among workers with post-disaster experience is more than twice that of construction workers who have not worked in these settings. We explore differences in the types of exploitation reported between these groups and differences of individual and employment characteristics between workers who have and have not worked in post-disaster environments.

Keywords: construction, human trafficking, labor trafficking, natural disasters, prevalence estimation