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Navigating Workforce Transformation: HRM Strategies of Rural and Regional Australian Councils in the 4IR Era

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  • Kehinde Martha Aluko

    (Centre for Organisational Change and Agility, Torrens University, Adelaide 5000, Australia)

  • John Burgess

    (Centre for Organisational Change and Agility, Torrens University, Adelaide 5000, Australia)

Abstract

The context for the study reported here is the Australian local government sector, specifically rural and regional councils that operate in isolated and remote areas with limited staffing and resources. Within this sector, 4IR technologies are transforming service delivery, jobs, and skill requirements. The purpose of this study is to examine how public sector organisations operating within a regulated and not-for-profit context and with constraints over HRM choices manage the challenges of the 4IR technologies on their workforce. Information from the study was sourced from semi-structured interviews with council managers and CEOs, independent experts familiar with the sector, and council documents. Triangulation of the information was applied to develop themes linked to workforce management, especially innovative HRM programs that were shaped by the constraints that councils faced in the management of their workforce. The findings indicate that regional and rural councils were able to manage the impact of 4IR technologies on their workforces through programs that drew on internal staff development and inter-council resource sharing.

Suggested Citation

  • Kehinde Martha Aluko & John Burgess, 2025. "Navigating Workforce Transformation: HRM Strategies of Rural and Regional Australian Councils in the 4IR Era," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:15:y:2025:i:2:p:52-:d:1587289
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew Worthington & Brian Dollery, 2001. "Diversity in Australian Local Government: The Case against the Imposition of Uniform National Standards," International Review of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 49-58, June.
    2. Paagman, Arnaud & Tate, Mary & Furtmueller, Elfi & de Bloom, Jessica, 2015. "An integrative literature review and empirical validation of motives for introducing shared services in government organizations," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 110-123.
    3. Petre Prisecaru, 2016. "Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Knowledge Horizons - Economics, Faculty of Finance, Banking and Accountancy Bucharest,"Dimitrie Cantemir" Christian University Bucharest, vol. 8(1), pages 57-62, March.
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