Epidemics, labour markets and unemployment: the impact of SARS on human resource management in the Hong Kong service sector

This article examines the links between epidemics and their economic consequences, specifically in terms of their impacts on labour markets and jobs. To exemplify the above, we examine the effects of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) on the Hong Kong economy, its labour market and its level o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of human resource management 2005-05, Vol.16 (5), p.752-771
Main Authors: Lee, Grace O.M., Warner, Malcolm
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian economy
Business studies
China
Correlation analysis
Demand
Diseases
Economic analysis
Economic impact
Employment
Epidemics
Hong Kong
Hotel industry
hotel sector
Human resource management
human resource management (HRM)
Human resources
Labor market
Labour market
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Personnel management
Public health
SARS
Service industries
Service industry
service sector
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Studies
Supply shock
uncertainty
unemployment
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Summary:This article examines the links between epidemics and their economic consequences, specifically in terms of their impacts on labour markets and jobs. To exemplify the above, we examine the effects of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) on the Hong Kong economy, its labour market and its level of employment and unemployment. The article hypothesizes that the greatest impact would be on human resource management (HRM) in the service industries and on particular sub-sectors, such as the hotel sector. It concludes that the dramatic demand and supply 'shocks' significantly affected both the demand for and the supply of labour in the sector, with discernible HRM consequences.
ISSN:0958-5192
1466-4399
DOI:10.1080/09585190500083202