The macro talent management, decent work and national well-being nexus: a cross-country and panel data analysis

Purpose – There is a paucity of research on the causal relationships between talent management (TM), decent work and national well-being. Hence, this study examines the nexus between macro talent management (MTM)practices, decent work and national well-being. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed longitudinal data from 77 developing countries across the globe and also utilised panel data estimators and the bootstrapping mediation method for the analyses. Findings – The results indicated that macro-level TM strategies can have a positive impact on decent work. Decent work also significantly improves national well-being (both subjective and economic well-being) over time as it shows a significant positive impact on change in national well-being measures. Furthermore, decent work serves as a mechanism that links MTM to improved national well-being at the macro level. Practical implications – TM investments by governments can empower citizens to escape the tragedy of vulnerable and low-quality employment and well-being deficit because it has the potential to improve decent work and national well-being as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Originality/value – Beyond the myopic organisational and managerialist view, the authors show that TM can have a positive spillover impact on people and the general society across time by enhancing decent work opportunities to improve both subjective and economic well-being of citizens in a country. Additionally, because decent work has psychosocial and economic dimensions, this study has revealed a complex and compelling conduit for translating the gains of macro-level TM strategies to improve national well-being. Moreover, it provides original empirical evidence to expand the limited longitudinal TM literature. Lastly, it adds to knowledge in the developing countries’ context.