ABSTRACT
The understanding of human resource management practices needs to be situated within the broader context of employment, labor market, and industrial relations (IR) systems at the national and sub-national level. In this chapter, we examine the transformation of these systems that has accompanied the growth of three major Asian economies: the People’s Republic of China (hereafter China), Japan, and South Korea (hereafter Korea). 1 We grouped the three countries together not least because they share broadly similar cultural heritage, such as Confucianism, but also major economies in East Asia with close socio-economic ties. At the same time, their politico-economic systems vary, so are the respective roles and strengths of key institutional actors, such as the state, workers’ unions, and employer associations in shaping the IR system (for more detailed discussion of each of the countries, see Bamber, Lansbury, Wailes, & Wright, 2016).
