From construction workers to entrepreneurs in construction: Career transformation phenomenon

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 is reshaping construction work and careers, creating new pressures and opportunities for vocationally trained workers. This qualitative exploratory study investigates how Indonesian construction workers transition from wage employment to entrepreneurship and how social, technological and psychological resources support these pathways. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and sustainable career perspectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight workers who had at least 5 years of construction experience before establishing construction-related businesses. Thematic analysis shows that economic dissatisfaction and job insecurity push workers away from wage work, while aspirations for autonomy pull them toward entrepreneurship. Vocational skills, digital tools such as Building Information Modelling and social media, and mentoring-based exchanges enable opportunity recognition. Psychological capital, particularly resilience and self-efficacy, supports persistence amid constraints. The study contributes theoretically by showing how informal exchange networks function as career-sustaining mechanisms in an emerging economy construction sector.