Research Report · Report 5 in Volume 1 · 2026
This report provides a comprehensive review of scientific studies focused on multiskilling — a labor strategy in which workers or crews are qualified to safely and competently perform selected work activities across more than one trade, craft, or skill classification. It examines the 59 studies published since the mid-1990s: how multiskilling has been studied, the project and worker outcomes reported, and the strengths and limitations of the available evidence.
The Literature at a Glance — Peer-Reviewed Studies on Multiskilling
Multiskilling has been examined in construction research for nearly three decades. Despite that interest, the findings are not always easy to compare — studies have defined multiskilling differently, examined it at the worker, crew, production-system, or project level, and used evidence from surveys, project records, field observations, simulation, and optimization models.
This report brings together the main areas examined, research methods, data sources, reported outcomes, and trade or skill combinations in construction multiskilling research — and distinguishes outcomes observed in practice from results generated through models or hypothetical scenarios.
This literature review has three aims:
Nearly every peer-reviewed study (95%) described multiskilling as valuable or emphasized its potential benefits — and no prior study concluded that multiskilling was disadvantageous across any of the outcomes or conditions examined.
Roughly a quarter (24%) of prior studies conducted formal hypothesis testing supported by inferential statistics.
More than half (54%) of prior studies relied on modelling and simulation methods without field-verified inputs.
No prior study directly measured project-performance effects on an active U.S. onsite project, and none performed head-to-head comparisons of multiskilled and single-skilled crews for the same work sequences.
Recommended Citation
Lines, B., Ogundare, I., Kassa, R., Smithwick, J., & Sullivan, K. (2026). A Comprehensive Review of Prior Evidence. Multiskilling in the U.S. Construction Industry. Report 5 of 6 in Volume 1. Simplar Foundation. https://doi.org/10.22361/vap3784wqw
The report may be shared and cited in its complete, unmodified form — see the Copyright and Use section inside the report for full permissions.
