ABSTRACT

This chapter offers a brief overview of several key trends and highlights some important sources of variation with regard to HR-related objects of reform across countries. It discusses changes in career systems. The chapter also discusses the end of government as a model employer. It discusses individualization and commoditization. The chapter discusses neither labour relations nor work practices but instead centres on employment practices applied in organizations. It focuses discussion of key trends on the national civil service organizations and workforces in European countries. A cornerstone of Human Resource Management (HRM) is the belief that putting people first is vital for organizational success. Indeed, many studies have shown that HRM is an important determinant of organizational performance, a finding that has been corroborated by several studies within the public sector. The introduction of HRM as such can be seen as a major public sector reform in itself, as it gradually replaced the traditional model of personnel administration.