Analysing the impact of sustainable human resource management practices and industry 4.0 technologies adoption on employability skills

Purpose: The study examines the influence of Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) practices and Industry 4.0 Technologies (I4Te) adoption on the Employability Skills (ES) of the employees. The study has undertaken four major SHRM practices – Training (TR), Flexibility (FL), Employee Participation (EP), and Employee Empowerment (EE) and I4Te to measure its impact on employability skills. Research methodology: A survey approach method was designed on the constructs undertaken from existing literature based on SHRM, I4Te, and ES. The survey resulted in 198 valid responses. The study employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0 to confirm the construct and test the hypotheses. Findings: The current study reveals that all the four SHRM practices (TR, FL, EP and EE) along with I4Te directly influence ES in the organisation. The I4Te , and SHRM practices may enhance skills and competencies that may help develop skilled manpower for future organisations. Social implications: For the development of the economy and the individual, the SHRM practices need to conduct themselves in more socially responsible ways along with the I4Te adoption to enhance the ES of the employees. The development brings sustainable behavioural changes in the employees. Practical implications: Considering the results, the SHRM practices aligned with I4Te may directly influence the employee’s ES, including core skills, IT skills, and personal attributes. The SHRM practices in the organisation will enhance the opportunities and long-term association for the employees. Originality: There has been no research conducted on exploring SHRM, I4Te, and ES together. This is the pioneer in the HRM field that explores the inter-relationships and influence among the 5 constructs undertaken in the study