The construction and infrastructure sector is undergoing significant transformation driven by evolving workforce expectations, increasing regulatory scrutiny, and the growing need for ethical and responsible organisational practices. Despite advances in technology and project management, persistent challenges remain in relation to workforce development, competence management, working conditions, and governance mechanisms. These challenges are further compounded by complex project structures, multi-tier subcontracting arrangements, and the dynamic nature of construction work environments, which collectively influence workforce outcomes and organisational performance.
Traditionally, research in construction has examined workforce development, wellbeing, and governance as largely separate domains. However, there is increasing recognition that these dimensions are deeply interconnected and must be understood within a broader, system-level perspective.
This Special Issue aims to advance understanding of human-centric construction systems by examining ethical governance, workforce development, and wellbeing as interconnected and strategic elements of contemporary construction practice. The aims will be met by publishing high-quality empirical, review and case-based studies that investigate organisational, project, and governance mechanisms influencing workforce outcomes, supported by rigorous methodologies, and practice-oriented insights relevant to industry and policy
Existing literature consistently highlights persistent challenges in construction related to ethical governance, workforce development, competence management, and wellbeing ( Karakhan et al., 2023; Lukhele, Botha and Mbanga, 2023; Hasan, Mishra and Kamardeen, 2024), yet these issues are often examined in isolation. Research documents ongoing skills shortages (Maqbool et al., 2023), fragmented training and competence assessment, and high workforce turnover, alongside the sector’s continued exposure to high accident rates and increasing psychosocial risks such as stress, fatigue, and burnout (Howe et al., 2024; Zong et al., 2024).
At the same time, complex project structures, multi-tier subcontracting, and the growing use of digital monitoring technologies have intensified ethical and governance concerns, including accountability gaps, labour exploitation, data privacy, and uneven enforcement of standards (Halder and Batra, 2024; Oladinrin, Aghimien and Goodhew, 2025). Although organisational culture, leadership, and project management practices are widely recognised as critical enablers of workforce outcomes (Rehan, Thorpe and Heravi, 2024; Zada et al., 2024), evidence remains dispersed, limiting integrated understanding and practical application. Recent industry events on worker wellbeing such as Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) report on mental health in the built environment (Barnett, 2025) underscore the need for a focused, system-level scholarly response. This Special Issue addresses these gaps by consolidating review, empirical, and case-based research to advance integrated, human-centric perspectives on construction systems with clear implications for practice, policy, and education.
List of Topic Areas
1. Project and organisational management practices enabling human-centric construction systems: This theme will address issues such as integration of human-centric principles into project management, organisational alignment with workforce wellbeing, coordination across project structures, decision-making affecting workforce performance, and effectiveness of risk management, communication, and reporting systems in supporting ethical and productive construction environments.
2. Organisational culture, ethical leadership, and responsible construction practices: Issues to be addressed under this theme include the role of organisational culture in shaping ethical behaviour, leadership approaches influencing workforce wellbeing, promotion of responsible practices, alignment of values and conduct, and mechanisms for fostering accountability, trust, and integrity within construction organisations.
3. Strategic and ethical stakeholder engagement in construction projects: Issues to be addressed under this theme include distinguishing features of strategic and ethical engagement, organisational mechanisms for implementation, reconciling strategic and ethical approaches through theoretical and empirical insights, managing power asymmetries and transparency, and assessing long-term implications for stakeholders and project outcomes.
4. Human-centric construction systems and their role in advancing social sustainability: Issues include conceptualising and operationalising social sustainability within human-centric construction systems, identifying key success factors, embedding relevant theoretical perspectives, examining leadership for socially sustainable practices, and evaluating impacts on workforce inclusivity, working conditions, and long-term project outcomes.
5. Ethical challenges in workforce management, labour practices, and employment relations: This theme will focus on issues such as fairness in employment practices, labour conditions and worker dignity, ethical implications of subcontracting arrangements, managing power asymmetries, and addressing challenges related to equity, transparency, and responsible workforce management in construction projects.
6. Workforce development, competence management, and skills formation in construction systems: Issues include approaches to workforce planning, skill development, upskilling and reskilling, competence assessment, alignment of training with industry needs, and the role of organisations in building and sustaining workforce capabilities in evolving construction environments.
7. Education, training practices, and the impact of digital technologies on workforce capabilities: Issues include innovation in construction education and training, integration of digital tools and platforms, effectiveness of technology-enabled learning, alignment with industry skill requirements, and the role of digitalisation in enhancing workforce adaptability and competence development.
8. Governance and organisational mechanisms for workforce wellbeing and psychosocial risk management in construction systems: Issues include governance frameworks for workforce wellbeing, regulation and accountability mechanisms, management of psychosocial risks such as stress, fatigue, and burnout, organisational policies and practices supporting mental health, and evaluation of interventions to improve workforce wellbeing in construction environments.
Submissions Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jedt
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jedt#jlp_author_guidelines
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ‘Please select the issue you are submitting to.’
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Journal Information: Scopus Journal Q1, H-Index 47
Key Deadlines
Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/07/2026
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 11/11/2026
For more details refer here
