Green buildings, old wages: Bengaluru construction workers yet to benefit from low-carbon push
Bengaluru's green building initiative lacks wage improvements for construction workers, highlighting urgent needs for labour welfare and equitable transitions.
The findings are based on focus group discussions with 55 construction workers and interviews with 15 stakeholders in Bengaluru, along with a review of existing research
Updated - September 10, 2026 01:08 pm IST - Bengaluru:
Construction workers at work in Bengaluru. Construction attracts migrant workers because it generally pays more than agriculture. However, migrant workers often struggle to access their legal entitlements, including benefits available through the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, the paper observed. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Bengaluru’s push for greener buildings may create a new set of jobs, but for the workers already building the city, the transition has so far meant little change in their wages or working conditions.
A new study has found that an unskilled construction worker on a large, code-compliant project in Bengaluru can earn as little as ₹500 a day, below the State’s mandated minimum wage of ₹669.61, while workers on smaller projects earn between ₹700 and ₹1,000 a day, according to a WRI India working paper.
The study found no wage difference between workers employed on low-carbon certified buildings and those working on conventional projects.
The working paper, Decent green jobs as a pathway for fair urban transitions -- A study of Bengaluru’s buildings sector, examines what the shift to low-carbon construction could mean for the city’s construction workforce, and that buildings account for more than half of Bengaluru’s greenhouse gas emissions, making the sector a major focus of the city’s climate action plans.
The findings are based on focus group discussions with 55 construction workers and interviews with 15 stakeholders in Bengaluru, along with a review of existing research. The study was undertaken by a group of authors, including Sajad S. Santhosh, Shrimoyee Bhattacharya, and Kiran Shaila Ramesh from WRI India.
The study points that new employment could emerge in areas such as retrofitting old buildings, and managing construction and demolition waste, and that existing workers such as masons, carpenters and electricians could move into green jobs by learning to work with low-carbon materials, designs and construction techniques.
However, the paper argues that merely creating these jobs will not ensure that workers benefit from the transition.
Construction attracts migrant workers because it generally pays more than agriculture. However, migrant workers often struggle to access their legal entitlements, including benefits available through the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, the paper observed.
It found differences between large and small construction projects. Large projects, which are more likely to comply with building codes, are expected to generate greater demand for specialised green jobs. Workers on large projects generally have safer working conditions and more days of employment, while smaller projects tend to offer slightly higher daily wages.
However, the working paper found no significant difference in working conditions between low-carbon and conventional building projects as safety practices are not uniformly enforced, and existing safety norms do not adequately address the environmental stress faced by workers, including exposure to extreme heat.
Highlighting the observations, the researchers called for better mechanisms to help workers access welfare benefits and for labour welfare to be incorporated into policies aimed at reducing emissions from buildings. The study argues that this could allow Bengaluru to tackle two problems at the same time — cut emissions from its buildings while making the workers who build them less vulnerable.
Published - September 10, 2026 01:07 pm IST
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