Ingyu Oh, Kansai Gaidai University

Jie Wu, University of Aberdeen

Ho Kwong Kwan, China Europe International Business School

Hyun Jeong Kim, Inha University

Low fertility is emerging as a critical challenge in international human resource management (HRM). Ultra-low fertility—defined as a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.3 or lower—is no longer confined to East Asia. It is now present across diverse regions, including parts of Southern and Eastern Europe (e.g., Italy, Spain, Poland), high-income Asian economies (e.g., South Korea, Japan, Singapore), and is increasingly affecting advanced economies in North America and Oceania. As of 2022, around 20 countries face ultra-low fertility, while 152 nations fall below the replacement level of 2.1.

This demographic crisis is transforming HRM from a support function into a strategic imperative. Policymakers around the world are sounding the alarm—South Korea warns of 'national extinction,' Japan calls it a 'quiet emergency,' and several European nations are grappling with labor market stagnation. The risks of shrinking workforces, declining productivity, and rising costs for talent acquisition and retention are now central economic concerns.

In response, a wave of HRM innovation has emerged globally. Strategies include expanded parental leave, work-life balance initiatives, AI-enabled workforce planning, and inclusive hiring to integrate underutilized groups such as women, older workers, and immigrants. Scholars are also extending and rethinking foundational HRM frameworks—such as the Resource-Based View, Institutional Theory, and Social Exchange Theory—to address the complexities of demographic scarcity.

Key causes of ultra-low fertility vary by context but often include insufficient work-family support, gender inequality, and cultural norms that discourage caregiving among working professionals.

The Resource-Based View (RBV) assumption of heterogeneous resource access must be revisited when human capital becomes universally scarce. Contributions are encouraged that develop a 'Scarcity-Based View' of HRM, theorizing competitive advantage amid widespread labor depletion, extend dynamic capabilities theory to define 'demographic agility,' and propose new mechanisms for integrating human and technological resources in response to labor shortages.

Classic human capital theory models presume labor stability. Contributors may theorize the 'demographic premium,' where labor scarcity amplifies the value of specific skills, and offer models for 'human capital preservation' to mitigate knowledge loss in shrinking organizations.

Neo-Institutional Theory perspectives advance institutional analysis by exploring how HRM navigates competing logics, reconciling global HR 'best practices' with local fertility norms, and theorizing 'institutional fertility regimes'—blends of regulatory, normative, and cultural influences on HRM. New theories are also needed to explain cultural paradoxes such as the 'Asian Paradox' where strong family values coexist with ultra-low fertility, and how cultural tightness-looseness shapes policy uptake.

Beyond adapting existing theories, this special issue encourages the creation of context-specific models capturing emerging HRM dynamics. Submissions should adopt multi-level approaches—linking national policy, organizational HRM, fertility behavior, and labor force participation. Comparative, cross-national research is especially welcome, as despite similar TFRs, HRM consequences vary widely. The special issue also seeks to theorize why conventional family-friendly HRM policies often fall short—due to patriarchal norms, cultural resistance, or inadequate personalization. Innovations such as AI-augmented work, radical flexibility, and diversity-centered talent strategies offer promising directions.

This Special Issue aims to fill a critical research gap by examining the global HRM implications of ultra-low fertility and exploring diverse, human-centered strategies for building sustainable, inclusive, and resilient workforces in response to demographic decline.

Potential topics

• Work-Life Balance Challenges: Family-friendly HRM policies and workplace cultures affecting fertility decisions
• Work-Life Balance Challenges: Gender inequality, maternity/paternity leave, and childcare support impacts on career and family planning
• Work-Life Balance Challenges: Cultural expectations and traditional gender roles influencing fertility rates
• Work-Life Balance Challenges: Implementing on-site childcare, generous parental leave, and financial incentives for families
• Work-Life Balance Challenges: Fostering inclusive environments prioritizing work-life balance and psychological safety
• Adapting HR Practices: Flexible work policies including remote work, reduced hours, and enhanced parental leave
• Adapting HR Practices: Upskilling and reskilling programs addressing workforce shrinkage
• Adapting HR Practices: Inclusive benefits such as childcare support, eldercare programs, and fertility treatments
• Adapting HR Practices: Diversity and inclusion strategies tapping underutilized labor pools (older workers, women, immigrants)
• Adapting HR Practices: Innovative international recruitment strategies and talent pipeline development
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: Deploying AI tools enhancing productivity without undermining employee wellbeing or autonomy
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: AI-assisted work-life balance through predictive analytics and personalized leave planning
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: AI-facilitated servant leadership and psychological safety reducing family planning fears
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: AI-driven personalized work schedules for dual-earner couples
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: Digital twin modeling simulating and optimizing career-family pathways
• Human-Centered AI Solutions: AI and automation addressing labor shortages and optimizing workforce management
• Rethinking Core HRM Theories: Developing scarcity-based view and demographic agility in HRM
• Rethinking Core HRM Theories: Human capital preservation and the demographic premium concept
• Institutional and Cultural Complexity: Reconciling global HR best practices with local fertility norms
• Institutional and Cultural Complexity: Institutional fertility regimes and institutional entrepreneurship in gender-equity reforms
• Institutional and Cultural Complexity: Cultural paradoxes and the influence of cultural tightness-looseness on policy uptake

Timeline

• Invalid DateTime: Publication of Special Issue
• September 1, 2026: Manuscript submission window opens
• November 30, 2026: Manuscript submission deadline
• December 1, 2026: Review process (1st round)
• March 1, 2027: Review process (2nd round)
• May 1, 2027: Final submission of accepted manuscripts