Regionalising Competitive Talent: the Role of Human Capital Management in a Context of Economic Integration and Labour Mobility

This study was motivated by the discourse on the unintended consequences of labour mobility, described as an unequal distribution of skills among countries participating in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The study advocated the importance of human capital management (HCM) and proposed that, in a context of economic integration and free movement of people, a holistic approach to HCM is critical for countries seeking to leverage human capital for improved economic performance. The study argued that an institutional infrastructure will assist a country in the CSME context by- determining its human capital needs to meet national goals, positioning it to successfully participate in the enrichment of a regional pool of competitive talent, and providing tools to mitigate the unintended consequences of labour mobility. Qualitative evidence from St. Kitts and Nevis was used to answer the main research question- how does a country determine its human capital needs? The study advanced a CSME-HCM model to plan for competitive talent. The study will provide researchers, practitioners and consultants with avenues to explain and evaluate human capital issues in a similar context.