Human resource management in italian SMEs after covid-19: an opportunity for growth?

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to investigate new trajectories in staff recruitment and training that could be strategic for Italian SMEs in improving their human resource skills and successfully facing the technological and organisational challenges accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. To achieve this, qualitative research was carried out from March to October 2021 involving Italian experts of the SME world. Findings have shown that the structuring/formalisation of recruitment and training activities may be useful for SMEs to deal with the economic downturn begun in 2020. These processes require the implementation of shared initiatives involving the wider participation of the employer associations, unions, local institutions and other social actors.