Diversity in Human Resource Management and Employability as Strategic Societal Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

The society we live in is constantly developing and changing. A change in the commonly used human resource management systems is a necessary starting point for maintaining the competitiveness of organizations. Each person’s personal and professional life must adapt to the constant changes in society. The future of professions is affected by societal changes, changes in social perspectives, the global business environment, and technological developments, but also by many other factors. The professional life of employees is affected by new requirements, while not only their size and complexity change, but also the nature of these requirements. Taking diversity into account is therefore becoming a key starting point for the implementation of new human resource management systems. Due to the development of technologies and changes in internal processes, supply or logistic limits and constraints impose requirements not only on managers but also on regular employees in the need of flexibility and adaptability, but also the development or acquisition of new competencies. Consideration of diversity in human resource management can help organizations to overcome these changes and gain a competitive advantage.

In connection with the globalization of markets, digitization and automation, new communication, technical and digital competencies are gaining in importance. The industrial developments brought by the Industry 4.0 strategic initiative are transforming various areas of industry by introducing new technologies, but they are also affecting many other sectors of the economy. In the context of this technological boom, it is important to pay attention not only to the benefits that the mentioned initiative brings, but also to the impact on employees and society. Evolving technologies affect not only work but also the everyday lives of entire communities of people by making everyday life easier, but also by increasing the ability to control and the need to develop competencies to master these technologies.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought dramatic changes that have affected the functioning of states, organizations, communities and individuals. Both the personal and professional lives of everyone were dramatically affected. Changes in the functioning of society and organizations have also marked the prospects for the employability of high school and university graduates. The greater and more significant impact of these facts is on employees of older generations who have lost their jobs and have to re-apply for a new job. Employment prospects should be examined with regard to their sustainability, while taking into account employee diversity. In the long run, in order to ensure the healthy functioning of economies, it is necessary to examine the potential of disadvantaged groups of employees in the context of changing operating conditions with regard to the needs of society, changing requirements for the necessary competencies, but also the uniqueness of different generations of employees.

Thus, Special Issue titled Diversity in Human Resource Management and Sustainable Employability as Strategic Societal Challenges intends, in a transversal way, to publish a collection of scientific articles that address these aspects in human resource management and sustainable employability. Contributions must fall into one of the three categories of papers for the journal (article, conceptual article or theoretical review) and address the topic of this Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your articles.

Dr. Augustín Stareček
Dr. Zdenka Gyurak Babelova
Dr. Natália Vraňaková
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainable employment
• social perspectives
• disadvantaged employees
• diversity
• graduates
• competencies
• COVID-19
• Industry 4.0
• employability
• sustainability