Course content
HRM practice is not only about organizations, but also about being simultaneously rooted in institutional frameworks within the context of society, of which the labor market and the social institutions form an integral part. More specifically, organizations in both a product/service sector and a knowledge sector need to ensure that they manage their employees successfully. Strategically, viewing HRM as a resource for a company also means that HRM involves navigating different labor market strategies and understanding the challenges that can make these more difficult.
This course aims to create a broader knowledge of labor market theory and the institutions in labor markets, as well as to develop the students' analytical skills to enable them to analyze a company's possible labor market strategies and link this to HR practice.
In the first week, students will be introduced to key labor market/industrial relations concepts that include definition, features and actors. We will explore different labor market theories, models and labor market policies. In the second week, we take the company's perspective on labor market strategies that a company can structure their workforce on. We will broadly look at the trends seen in the labor market including demographic changes, changes to composition of economically active population, fluctuations in unemployment rate, legal/policy changes, and changes in skill requirements. In this final week, we address the HR challenges that exist in relation to the work of today and the future. Given that careers have changed significantly over time, we discuss how this affects the way HR operates in labor markets. In addition, we look at current trends that are disrupting HR's traditional ways of working (eg boundaryless careers, gig work, digital era).
See course description in course catalogue