Articles on Economics of Human Resources

This article discusses the implications of the Make or Buy concept to the economics of decision making. The key theme in this article is that when it is cheaper to get something done by others versus making it ourselves, the economics dictate that we go for the former. In addition, the concept of core competency is discussed to highlight another aspect of this decision.

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This article discusses the economics of the workplace where the more productive, the highly efficient, and the more faster and agile workers race ahead of the slower ones. Among other things, the key themes in this article relate to how machines replaced workers, computers replaced the white collar ones, and how the present trend of advanced computing and robotics are replacing the knowledge workers.

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This article examines how the HR decisions in recent years are being driven by economics more than any other concerns given the emphasis on cost cutting and increasing profits. The key themes in this article are that potential and current employees must be cognizant not only of how well they perform or how poorly they have fared but also about how much they cost to the firms and hence, be prepared accordingly.

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This article examines the economics of human resources in the informal economy from multiple perspectives. By explaining terms such as Daily wage workers, Arbitrage of hiring, Precariat, and the Digital Economy, this article intends to introduce the readers to how the economics of human resources in the informal economy works. The key theme in this article is that informal workers operate in a vastly different universe than the formal sector workers.

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This article discusses the strategies to overcome labour market shortages. The key themes in this article are that by addressing shorter term supply challenges, we are creating longer term distortions in the labour market. In addition, this article also discusses the strategy of hiring non IT graduates in IT firms and asks the question as to who would build our bridges if all engineers work in IT firms.

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This is an introductory article about Labor Unions and their beginning, emergence, rise, and fall over the last hundred and fifty years. The key themes in this article are that labor unions which were once seen as important stakeholders in the functioning of the political economies of nations are now relegated to irrelevance which is due to the ascent of neoliberal policies as well as the demise of the blue collar worker in the West.

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With the decline in the power of the unions, workers in many sectors have become demoralized and de-motivated. In addition, with the emergence of the Uber economy, the concept of organized labor itself has become redundant. However, as this article argues, such trends do not bode well from an HRM perspective, and hence, the key theme of this article is to examine and analyze these trends from an HRM viewpoint.

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This article explains the top 5 reasons why labor unions are a bad idea. It provides an in-depth explanation as to why these institutions which are supposed to work for the worker’s interest end up working against it!

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Are unions necessary in the services sector and the freelance economy? Are they desirable for the employers? Are employees in the services sector and the freelancers Blue Collar or White Collar ones? These are some of the questions that would be tackled in this article which uses some recent developments to highlight why all stakeholders must come together to define and categorize as well as debate whether there ought to be unions in these sectors.

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Working professionals and aspiring graduates and students would have heard the term variable pay. This article breaks down the concept of variable pay by discussing its evolution, the components in variable pay, and how it is practiced and implemented now. In addition, this article also analyses the popularity of Employee Stock Options.

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This article examines the emerging concept of ROWE or Results Only Work Environment wherein employees are paid for the results or the outputs and not the number of hours spent on them. The benefits off ROWE are discussed in addition to specifying that its success depends on how employers implement it for the benefit of all stakeholders and not only to their bottom lines.

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This article examines the recruitment process in contemporary firms that use Big Data and Analytics extensively. The key themes in this article are that with increasingly sophisticated tools, it has become possible for companies to zone in on the applicants with the most appropriate fit for their requirements. In addition, we offer some tips for prospective applicants to prepare for psychometric and skill testing.

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What is the Minimum Wage and why is it so contentious? Further, what are the role of the government and the roles of the corporates and the labor unions? Moreover, how does one set a minimum wage for Freelancers? This article examines these questions with real world examples from countries world over and argues that there is a compelling case for the government to mandate a minimum wage.

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This article explains the concept of occupational licensure. It explains why this system wreaks havoc and creates high prices. Examples have been quoted from the field of medicine, law and even education.

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This article explains what Employee Activism is and whether it is a portend for a New Form of Unionism. By examining the case of Google, whose employees have been at the forefront of activism in recent months, this article argues that this has lessons for other firms in how to deal with employee dissatisfaction and anger. Further, we also make the case for HR managers across the industry to devise strategies and methods on tackling Employee Activism by using examples from our experience in such firms.

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There is a growing trend of experts calling for unionization of the workforce in the Knowledge and Gig Economy firms, especially in the latter category. This is backed by historical trends where the Industrial Revolution gave rise to a Social Contract between the owners and the workers. Similarly, the Fourth Industrial Revolution underway should usher in a New Social Contract. Taking these themes, we make the case for Unionization of the Knowledge and Gig Economy firms.

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What are Demographics? How do they affect the Dynamics of the Labour Market? Moreover, how do Demographics impact the economic growth of nations? What is the Demographic Dividend and what is the Demographic Nightmare? These are some of the questions that would be examined in this article wherein we draw from Labour Economics Theory and examples from the real world to discuss and analyze the present Demographic situation worldwide.

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This article explains why the gig economy is not going to be the future of the entire workforce. It explains why the gig economy is only suited for certain types of tasks. Lastly, it also explains that the general nature of tasks being performed in the future will change and that gig economy will not be compatible with this change.

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In this article, we discuss the Emerging World of Gig Work and argue that it is time governments and private firms respond to the New Realities of the Digital Economy. Our other argument is that just as the First Industrial Revolution led to Modern Labour Laws and Institutions, the ongoing transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution needs a similar evolution in our approach and governance.

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This article provides an overview of the challenges that different stakeholders face in regularizing and formalizing the Gig Economy and the Gig workers. We explain the nuts and bolts of the legal and administrative aspects of these challenges and list some steps that can be taken on this count. The pandemic proved Gig workers to be 'indispensable' and so, they must be rewarded for that.

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This article argues for a more level playing field in the Creator Economy. We support our arguments by first explaining how the Creator Economy works, then pointing out how it supports a few, at the expense of the many, and suggest some ways in which it could be made to work for all. Above all, we advocate the emerging Web 3.0 as the Game Changer that would revolutionize the Creator Economy.

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