Call for Papers: A Lifecycle Perspective on the Health and Care Workforce and Labour Market Dynamics

About the Research Topic This Research Topic in the journal Frontiers in Health Services — Health Workforce section — is a call for papers examining health and care workforce and labour market dynamics through a lifecycle perspective. Many countries continue to face persistent shortages and maldistribution of health professionals, particularly in rural and remote areas. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted vulnerabilities in health workforce wellbeing, morale and retention, with implications for productivity, continuity and quality of care, and service delivery.

At the same time, migration, the expansion of the gig economy and locum work, increased public-private sector mobility, and the prevalence of dual practice are reshaping employment patterns across health and care systems. These challenges are not stand-alone issues but reflect dynamic processes unfolding across the career lifecycle and different stages of the working lifespan. Understanding these dynamics is essential for policymakers, educators, regulators and health system leaders seeking to build and sustain a health workforce that can meet population needs fairly and effectively.

The lifecycle perspective The World Health Organization recommends monitoring the health workforce at three key junctures: when individuals enter the workforce (planning, education and recruitment), when they are active members of the workforce (supervision, compensation, working conditions, system support and lifelong learning), and when they exit (migration, career transitions and retirement). A lifecycle perspective brings these stages together, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of how workforce trajectories interact with the labour market over time, while also incorporating the perspectives and voices of health and care workers. Such an approach moves beyond narrowly economic interpretations of labour markets to examine how inequity, maldistribution and employment challenges emerge and evolve over time.

Themes of interest We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following: 1. Gendered labour market dynamics across career stages; 2. Education-to-employment transitions and preparation for practice; 3. Distribution challenges, including rural-urban and public-private imbalances; 4. Employment conditions, contractual arrangements, job security, and non-standard or gig economy work (multiple job holding, moonlighting, etc.); 5. Career development and pathways; 6. Migration and international mobility across the lifecycle; 7. Retention, wellbeing, supervision/management and lifelong learning; 8. Regulation and governance shaping workforce trajectories and labour market outcomes.

These themes are directly relevant to Uganda and the wider African health workforce context, where questions of rural distribution, migration, retention and employment conditions are central to health system performance. Evidence generated through this Research Topic is intended to inform equitable workforce planning, education reform, labour market governance and sustainable health system management across diverse country contexts and settings.

Article types We invite original research (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods), reviews, case studies, opinion pieces and policy briefs. Accepted article types include Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Community Case Study, Data Report, Editorial, General Commentary, Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Policy and Practice Reviews, Policy Brief, Review, Study Protocol, Systematic Review and Technology and Code. All contributions must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted. Articles accepted for publication following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to authors, institutions or funders.

How to submit Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the main journal or any other participating journal, through the journal's online submission system. Authors should review the journal's author guidelines, article type requirements and fee policy before submitting, and ensure their contributions are within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted.

Deadline The manuscript submission deadline is 20 September 2026. The Research Topic is currently accepting articles.