Blockchain-based labour credential management system for construction labourers

Purpose The construction industry relies heavily on a diverse workforce whose credentials include identity information, certifications, trade qualifications, employment histories, training records and medical documentation. Effective management of these credentials is essential to ensure workforce reliability, compliance and safety. Managing large volumes of labour credential data requires the storage efficiency and operational capabilities of relational database systems. Accordingly, this study aims to propose a hybrid labour credential management system that integrates blockchain and relational database technologies to support secure credential storage, tamper-evident verification and interoperability across multiple construction organisations. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a design science research methodology to design, develop and evaluate the proposed system. The architecture combines relational database storage with SHA-256 hashing, Merkle-tree aggregation and blockchain anchoring mechanisms to establish a secure credential verification environment. A prototype was developed and evaluated through internal and external validation involving ten construction industry professionals. Findings The findings demonstrated that the proposed system enables secure, efficient and tamper-evident credential verification while improving transparency, accessibility and trust in labour credential management. Originality/value The prevailing labour credential management practices remain fragmented, relying on paper-based records, isolated organisational databases and partially digitised systems. Such approaches create challenges related to interoperability, credential verification, data consistency and vulnerability to manipulation, limiting the reliability and accessibility of workforce information across organisations.