Purpose As a crucial soft skill for achieving project success, emotional intelligence (EI) remains an interesting, relevant and emerging research area which requires more researches in the construction industry. This study presents a review of existing studies on EI in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A search of literature was conducted in the Scopus academic database leading to a retrieval of 146 articles. All the articles were subjected to content analysis where 48 articles were accepted to address the research objectives. Findings The outcome revealed the topmost critical competencies in EI for construction professionals include: strong assertiveness with firmness in decision-making, strong leadership abilities, coherent team-building traits, strong conflict resolution and high self-control amid provocation. Further, the key contributions of EI to the construction industry were discovered as: increased personal and project performance, inspired leadership, built capacity against stress, improved communication skills and increased confidence within project practitioners. Practical implications The study contributes to the stimulation of an in-depth knowledge in managing construction professionals, the society and further studies in this research area. Originality/value Critical EI competencies of the key stakeholders of the construction projects are provided to guide practice to improve project successes.