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Modernising Human Resource Management in Times of Financial Crisis: What Priorities to Maintain Capacity with Limited Resources

Received: 23 January 2014     Published: 28 February 2014
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Abstract

Currently and in the next few decades, national public services1 of the EU Member States will be confronted with a smaller and older workforce due to demographic change, downsizing, and restructuring. The effects of this trend are less capacity, risks of skill obsolescence, of lower performance and of productivity and know-how loss. In that context, HRM in the European public services needs to play a stronger role by using more effectively the skills and competencies of its current and future workforce. Against this background, the article discusses common European priorities in the fields of HR planning, career management, skills development and training, which are needed to also maintain in future a competent and high quality public service.

Published in Journal of Human Resource Management (Volume 2, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12
Page(s) 9-15
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Financial Crisis, More Limited Resources, Human Resource Management, Development of Skills and Competencies

References
[1] The public service includes all the public organisations which work under the authority of the political power and which serve the executive in the decision-making process.
[2] OECD, Public servants as partners for growth, Paris 2011, p.21.
[3] Ebd.,, p.21.
[4] Ebd., p.26
[5] Ebd., p.26
[6] According to the OECD, real GDP growth in the Euro area will be 1,3% in 2014 and 1,8% in 2015. OECD, Economic Outlook NR 94, Paris 2013, p.3.
[7] European Commission, The 2012 Ageing Report, Economic and budgetary projections for the 27 EU Member States (2012-2060), Brussels 2012, p.75.
[8] Ebd., p.63.
[9] C. Pollitt and G. Bouckaert, Public Management Reform, Oxford: Oxford Press, 2011, p. 135ff.
[10] According to the OECD, 15 countries have realised replacement ratios with targets going up to 50% of staff being not replaced. OECD, Government at a glance, Paris 2011, p.108.
[11] Ibid., p.108.
[12] D. Vaughan-Whitehead, The impact of public sector adjustments in Europe, 28 June 2012, http://www.ilo.org/traveil/WCMS_184297/lang (last checked, 25.02.2013).
[13] OECD, Government at a glance, Paris 2009, p.72.
[14] OECD, 2011, op.cit. p.106.
[15] C. Demmke and T. Moilanen, The future of public employment in central public administration, study commissioned by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht 2012, p.60ff.
[16] G. Symon and S. Corby, ‘Making sense of public sector employment relations in a time of crisis’, in S. Corby and G. Symon, Working for the state, Hampshire 2011, p.235.
[17] CEDEFOP, Working and ageing, Emerging theories and empirical perspectives, Luxembourg 2010, p.42ff.
[18] J. Behrens and F. Frerichs, ‘Training, skills and performance of ageing workers – Issues, measures and models, in: H. Buch and B. Dworschak, Ageing and work in Europe, Stuttgart 2003, pp.107-110; V. Skirbekk, ‘Age and productivity capacity: descriptions, causes and policy options’, Ageing Horizons, Nr 8, 2008, pp.4-10.
[19] R. Desjardins and A. Warnke, ‘Ageing and skills: A review and analysis of skill gain and skill loss over the lifespan and over time’, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 72, Paris, p. 13-14.
[20] V Skirbekk, ‘Age and Productivity Capacity: Descriptions, causes and policy options’, Ageing Horizons, Issue Nr 8, p.4-12; P. Hendrik Van Dalen et al., ‘Productivity of older workers perceptions of employers and employees’, Population and Development Review 36(2) 2010, p. 309-330.
[21] CEDEFOP, Skill mismatch, Luxembourg 2012, p.15.
[22] Ibid., p.11.
[23] CEDEFOP, 2012, p.15.
[24] Ibid., p. 16.
[25] OECD, Ageing and the public service, Paris 2007, p. 35.
[26] Institute of Public Administration, ‘Workforce planning in the Irish Public Service’, Newsletter, Spring 2012, p. 1-4.
[27] For more details, see www.fonction-publique.gouv.fr
[28] Loi organique relative aux lois de finances. The LOLF is in the context of French public finances superior to the other financial laws and like a financial constitution.
[29] See in this context: Bundesministerium des Innern, Demografiesensibles Personalmanagement in der Bundesverwaltung, Berlin 2012.
[30] See for more details www.verwaltung-innovativ.de
[31] D. Bossaert et al., ‘The impact of demographic change and its challenges for the workforce in the European public sectors’, EIPA Working Paper 2012/W/01, p.33.
[32] Ibid., p. 32ff.
[33] See for more details www.fedweb.belgium.be
[34] CEN/ISSS Knowledge Management Workshop, Europäischer Leitfaden zur erfolgreichen Praxis im Wissensmanagement, Brüssel, Frühjahr 2004, p.7.
[35] Ebd, p.8.
[36] Ministère de la Fonction publique, La transmission des savoirs, guide méthodologique, Paris 2007 ; Bundesministerium des Inneren, Demografiesensibles Personalmanagement in der Bundesverwaltung, Berlin 2012, p.10ff.
[37] Bossaert D., et al., 2012, p.18ff.
[38] Loi n°2009-972 du 3 août 2009 relative à la mobilité et aux parcours professionnels dans la fonction publique.
[39] Ministère de la Fonction publique, Recueil de bonnes pratiques en matière de gestion des âges de la vie: Expériences des secteurs publics et privés en France et à l’international, Paris 2012.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Danielle Bossaert. (2014). Modernising Human Resource Management in Times of Financial Crisis: What Priorities to Maintain Capacity with Limited Resources. Journal of Human Resource Management, 2(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12

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    ACS Style

    Danielle Bossaert. Modernising Human Resource Management in Times of Financial Crisis: What Priorities to Maintain Capacity with Limited Resources. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 2014, 2(1), 9-15. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12

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    AMA Style

    Danielle Bossaert. Modernising Human Resource Management in Times of Financial Crisis: What Priorities to Maintain Capacity with Limited Resources. J Hum Resour Manag. 2014;2(1):9-15. doi: 10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12,
      author = {Danielle Bossaert},
      title = {Modernising Human Resource Management in Times of Financial Crisis: What Priorities to Maintain Capacity with Limited Resources},
      journal = {Journal of Human Resource Management},
      volume = {2},
      number = {1},
      pages = {9-15},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20140201.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jhrm.20140201.12},
      abstract = {Currently and in the next few decades, national public services1 of the EU Member States will be confronted with a smaller and older workforce due to demographic change, downsizing, and restructuring. The effects of this trend are less capacity, risks of skill obsolescence, of lower performance and of productivity and know-how loss. In that context, HRM in the European public services needs to play a stronger role by using more effectively the skills and competencies of its current and future workforce. Against this background, the article discusses common European priorities in the fields of HR planning, career management, skills development and training, which are needed to also maintain in future a competent and high quality public service.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

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    AB  - Currently and in the next few decades, national public services1 of the EU Member States will be confronted with a smaller and older workforce due to demographic change, downsizing, and restructuring. The effects of this trend are less capacity, risks of skill obsolescence, of lower performance and of productivity and know-how loss. In that context, HRM in the European public services needs to play a stronger role by using more effectively the skills and competencies of its current and future workforce. Against this background, the article discusses common European priorities in the fields of HR planning, career management, skills development and training, which are needed to also maintain in future a competent and high quality public service.
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Author Information
  • European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, Netherlands

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