ABSTRACT
The understanding of human resource management practices needs to be situated within the broader context of employment, labor market, and industrial relations (IR) systems at the national and sub-national level. This chapter examines the transformation of these systems that has accompanied the growth of three major Asian economies: the People's Republic of China (China), Japan, and South Korea (Korea). It provides an overview of how the economy and the labor market have evolved in the three countries since the 1980s. The chapter examines the role of the trade unions and the key characteristics of industrial relations in order to understand how unions as key institutional actors may or may not act effectively in protecting workers in general, or workers in particular sectors or forms of employment. It also discusses the evolution of, and main changes in, the wage system in China, Japan, and Korea.
