Human Resource Management and Development in Laos PDR and Thailand:what should be done at local or central government?

Human Resource Management and Development in Laos PDR and Thailand are interesting to be explored. The selected countries have become volatile and being such eyes catching sites in South East Asia. Thailand’s local... [ view full abstract ]

Human Resource Management and Development in Laos PDR and Thailand are interesting to be explored. The selected countries have become volatile and being such eyes catching sites in South East Asia. Thailand’s local governance has been sieged by repetitive Coup d’états while Laos PDR has historically carried out its decentralisation processes after years of communist-socialist regime.

HRM is selected as the internal dimension of local governance practice while HRD is the external dimension practices which local units are highly expected to connect to local communities. Based on the context of decentralisation, it is necessary to research on how can the theoretical concepts on decentralisation and governance have been generated and exercised in Thailand and Laos PDR. The questions on differences of political regime and the maturity of local government are also decisive to be explored. Besides, the central-local relationship amongst level of governments is reconnoitred.

Lao PDR is one of the poorest countries in the Asia-Pacific region and experiences many restraints to development and poverty reduction, including with the HRD. The implementation has been interpreted into many practices which need to be revisited.

In Laos PDR, there is the project from 2011 to 2015 Decent Work Country Programme which was developed through multiple rounds of discussion and consultation between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour in Laos PDR. Therefore there was creativities in regard with labour, human resource and represents the cooperative intention of stakeholders to address critical challenges to the achievement of decent work for all Laotians. This has established the central-local relations on an HR issue.

Simultaneously, decentralised HRM in Thailand has been implemented without the preparedness of the local institution and the responsiveness of local civil servants. HR practices which have been conducted at the municipal level are reluctantly implemented. This is because the decentralisation on HRM was imposed by the national agenda and by the international donors. Therefore, as a result, recruitment and selection, training and development and performance management in municipalities have encountered scores of challenges. The notion of national legacy of centralisation exists and has transferred to the municipal level.

All in all the two countries have experienced different way of HRMD practices but Performance Management has similarly been expectedly highlighted to response the HR problems for the two countries.