GREEN HUMAN RESOURCE DEMAND IN VIETNAMESE SMES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62985/j.huit_ojs.vol26.no3E.683Từ khóa:
SMEs, green human resources, Vietnam.Tóm tắt
This research examines the need for environmentally sustainable human resources in SMEs in Vietnam. With tightening environmental legislation and growing export market demands, greening has become a real necessity for many businesses, not just a strategic option. However, there is still little information on how SMEs perceive and address the green skills challenge, particularly regarding the specific strategies they employ to adapt to these environmental demands and the barriers they face in acquiring necessary green skills. The study uses a qualitative research approach. External factors, such as regulatory compliance and buyer requirements in world markets, largely drive the demand for green human resources, according to the results. Most companies link green skills to energy efficiency, waste minimization, and cost containment rather than to long-term innovation or a competitive advantage. At the same time, financial constraints, limited managerial knowledge, and the lack of specialized training programs are major obstacles to worker development, which hinder companies from fully integrating green skills into their operations and realizing their potential for long-term innovation or competitive advantage. As a result, green human resources investments are prudent and responsive. This study explains the characteristics of demand for green skills in a developing economy and highlights the gap between political aspirations and organizational capacity. The results offer practical advice for SMEs and public policies to promote sustainable business development, such as implementing training programs for green skills and creating incentives for businesses that adopt environmentally friendly practices.
Tài liệu tham khảo
[1] GSO, "The White Paper on Vietnamese Enterprises, " Statistics Publishing House, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.nso.gov.vn/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sach-trang-DN-2025-PDF.pdf
[2] E. Baykal and O. Bayraktar, “Green human resources management: A novel tool to boost work engagement,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, Oct. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.951963
[3] M. Adeel, S. Mahmood, K. I. Khan, and S. Saleem, “Green HR practices and environmental performance: The mediating mechanism of employee outcomes and moderating role of environmental values,” Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 10, Oct. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1001100
[4] D. T. Kwerawarni and A. Azmy, "The conceptual model of green human resource management in business organization: A literature review," International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, vol. 10, no. 12, pp. 452-463, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v10i12.5447
[5] D. W. S. Renwick, T. Redman, and S. Maguire, "Green human resource management: A review and research agenda," International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 1-14, 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00328.x
[6] J. Dumont, J. Shen, and X. Deng, "Effects of green HRM practices on employee workplace green behavior: The role of psychological green climate and employee green values," Human Resource Management, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 613-627, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21792
[7] B. B. Saeed, B. Afsar, S. Hafeez, I. Khan, M. Tahir, and M. A. Afridi, "Promoting employee's proenvironmental behavior through green human resource management practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 424-438, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1694
[8] J. Grabowski, R. J., A. Walecka, and M. Amorim, "Exploring the requirements for green competencies in recruitment and personnel selection processes," Economics and Environment, vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 853-853, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2024.91.4.853
[9] M. U. Arumugam and C. Vijai, "A study on green HRM practices in an organization," International Review of Business and Economics, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 34-37, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.56902/irbe.2018.1.3.3
[10] T. Fapohunda, K. Genty, and L. Olanipekun, "Green Training and Development Practices on Environmental Sustainability: Evidence from WAMCO PLC," Journal of Educational Management & Social Sciences, vol. 1, pp. 1-19, 12/31 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.48112/jemss.v1i2.212
[11] B. Hoxhaj, D. Xhani, S. Kapo, and E. Sinaj, "The role of social media on self-image and self-esteem: A study on Albanian teenagers," Journal of Educational and Social Research, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 128-128, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2023-0096
[12] I. Gjika and Z. Koli, "Policies and practices of green human resource management," Journal of International Cooperation and Development, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 60-60, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.36941/jicd-2019-0013
[13] J. Y. Yong, M. Y. Yusliza, T. Ramayah, C. J. Chiappetta Jabbour, S. Sehnem, and V. Mani, "Pathways towards sustainability in manufacturing organizations: Empirical evidence on the role of green human resource management," Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 212-228, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2359
[14] C. Mweru and T. Maina, "Features of resource based view theory: An effective strategy in outsourcing," International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 215-218, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/features-of-resource-based-view-theory-an-effective-strategy-in-outsourcing.
[15] D. P. Faeni, R. F. Oktaviani, H. A. Riyadh, R. P. Faeni, and B. A. H. Beshr, "Green human resource management and sustainable practices on corporate reputation and employee well-being: A model for Indonesia?s F&B industry," Environmental Challenges, vol. 18, pp. 101082-101082, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2025.101082
[16] R. N. Vadithe, R. C. Rajput, and B. Kesari, "Impact of green HRM implementation on organizational sustainability in IT sector: A mediation analysis," Sustainable Futures, vol. 9, pp. 100507-100507, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100507
[17] M. J. Lee, H. Choi, and T. Roh, "Is institutional pressure the driver for green business model innovation of SMEs? Mediating and moderating roles of regional innovation intermediaries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 209, pp. 123814-123814, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123814
[18] P. Stokes, Y. Liu, S. Smith, S. Leidner, N. Moore, and C. Rowland, "Managing talent across advanced and emerging economies: HR issues and challenges in a Sino-German strategic collaboration," The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 27, no. 20, pp. 2310-2338, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1074090
[19] M. F. Islam, A. Al Masud, M. Emon, R. A. Shuvro, M. T. I. Jony, and T. Akter, "Integrating green HRM for productivity and sustainability: Green innovation, engagement and pro-environmental behavior as key mediators," Future Business Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 2025, Art no. 24, doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00433-w
[20] J. M. Sohu, M. Shaikh, S. N. Shaikh, and S. Soomro, "Green HRM for SMEs: Practical approaches to sustainability for small and medium enterprises," in Eco-HR: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2026, pp. 187-206, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83708-660-320261011
[21] B. Harney and C. Nolan, "Human Resource Management in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises," 2022, pp. 87-109, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-779-420221010
[22] S. Kutaula, S. Chowdhury, A. Gillani, P. S. Budhwar, and P. K. Dey, "Linking HRM with sustainability performance through sustainability practices: Unlocking the black box," British Journal of Management, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 615-632, 2025 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12861
[23] T. M. Sang and N. T. Hung, “Exploring the relationship between ESG Practices and Financial Performance of Vietnamese Companies,” International Journal of Analysis and Applications, vol. 22, p. 214, Nov. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.28924/2291-8639-22-2024-214
[24] H. Ngo, "Green Human Resource Management in Vietnamese Small Restaurants: Integrating Institutional and Natural‐Resource‐Based Perspectives," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, vol. 33, pp. 2108-2127, 2026, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.70276
[25] V. N. Amrutha and S. N. Geetha, "A systematic review on green human resource management: Implications for social sustainability," Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 247, pp. 119131-119131, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119131
[26] E. Duzgun and E. Atay, "The moderating role of stakeholder involvement in GHRM-GSCM integration: Evidence from Vietnamese logistics firms," Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 100562-100562, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100562
[27] Z. Birbirsa and M. Worku, "Green human resource management: A systematic literature review and future research directions," International Journal of Organizational Leadership, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 357-383, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2022.60334
[28] L. Tweneboa Kodua, Y. Xiao, N. O. Adjei, D. Asante, B. O. Ofosu, and D. Amankona, "Barriers to green human resources management (GHRM) implementation in developing countries: Evidence from Ghana," Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 340, pp. 130671-130671, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130671
[29] E. Bombiak, "Barriers to implementing the concept of green human resource management: The case of Poland," European Research Studies Journal, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 66-81, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/1672
[30] M. Singh, "RVA in Asia and the Pacific Region," in Education for Sustainability: Springer Nature Singapore, 2022, pp. 39-61, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2072-1_3
[31] I. Wielewska et al., "Green human resource management," Ekonomia i Środowisko - Economics and Environment, vol. 83, no. 4, pp. 276-302, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2022.83.4.496
[32] M. I. M. Haeruddin, U. D. Natsir, N. F. Aswar, A. P. Aslam, and R. Salam, "Here comes the sun: Green HRM implementation toward SME?s sustainability in tourism industry," International Journal of Professional Business Review, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. e01227-e01227, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i4.1227
[33] R. Tahir and M. S. Javed, "Reinforcing Green Organizational Culture to Sustain Green Human Capital: Innovative Way for Agri-Inputs Industry," Research Square, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1963428/v1
[34] A. Khurosani, H. Nupus, and G. Ganika, "The role of green human resource management in creating green supply chain culture in a service industry," Uncertain Supply Chain Management, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 973-982, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.uscm.2021.7.003
[35] H. Gao, A. Al Mamun, M. Masukujjaman, and Q. Yang, "Exploring the nexus of green human resource management, leadership and organizational culture on workplace pro-environmental behavior," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, vol. 12, no. 1, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05071-9
[36] F. Sultana, O. H. Jumman, N. Paul, and U. Golder, "Green human resource management and organisational responsible performance: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis," Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, vol. 21, pp. 100396-100396, 2026, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100396
[37] A.-E. Ion, “Ethics and Sustainability in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Public Policies”, lumenproceedings, vol. 11, pp. 74-85, Jul. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.18662/lumproc/gekos2020/09
