The 'rain dance' of selection in construction: rationality as ritual and the logic of informality

Recruitment and selection in the construction industry is ad hoc - the search for workers to match immediate employment needs is unsystematic, usually conducted in a short-termist manner, and often contributes to, rather than overcomes, persistent recruitment difficulties and skill shortages. The purpose of this paper is to explore the recruitment context and selection practice in the Scottish construction sector, and proposes a model of the selection decision process which may provide an explanation for this apparently unsystematic approach.