Would expanding the levels of flexibility for movements of talent between firms and within firms result in a positive productivity impact (refer section 1, page 5 on Policy Document attached). On a scale of Very Low, Low, Neither Low nor High, High, Very High, what productivity impact would most likely be the result ? Are there empirical data to support your assertion ?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305687139_Priority_policy_recommendations_for_transforming_individual_productivity_and_SME_competitiveness_in_Jamaica

Policy perspectives aimed in favour of unshackling SME’s of unnecessary strictures and empowering SME's to achieve talent-driven, outwardly-focused global competitiveness should  feature flexibility to respond to market dynamism.

Flexibility covers a wide range of issues including:

a)     Labour force training should be flexible in its delivery and not be rigidly tied to historical sectors and industries.  Training content and packages should rather be dynamically adjustable and malleable to suit emergence of new sectors and industries.  Responsive repackaging should be a key feature

b)    The picking of winners and locking in / redirecting training resources to those ends is to be discouraged.  The identification of areas of comparative advantage and repurposing  training resources to those ends is also to be discouraged.  Preference is for flexibility to be able to match market demands.  Where appropriate, then time-limited Tax Incentives may be dynamically deployed to encourage training in emergent new sectors.  However, there is a danger of having these incentives becoming institutionalised and remaining on the books way past their useful and value-enhancing period.  Constant policy and legislative re-calibration would therefore be required.

c)     Certification and training of the labour force should seek to produce an outcome where human talent is flexible and have the trained / certified individual be imbued with the capacity and capability to respond in a dynamic way to the varying job opportunities that will emerge over their lifelong working cycle.

d)    Hire and Fire practices should be reviewed to eliminate rigidity and so adjusted to build in higher levels of flexibility in order to

(1) allow for easy and smooth movement of talent dynamically between firms and sectors, reducing stickiness and enhancing responsiveness as market demands change;

(2) allow for smooth movement within firms.  As staff transition through their individual life cycles, job cycles and task cycles, Personal Productivity Performance changes and impacts their work output.; in some cases, upwardly and in some cases, downwardly.  As individuals yearn for differing work-life balance states, then the SME firm needs an ability to flexibly treat with these employee desires in order to retain talent, or attract talent.   Both individuals and firms need the capability and flexibility to adjust the form of engagement in order to align to these changing conditions.  Where, on the other hand, the firm faces declines due to market conditions they will need flexibility to change talent engagement from one form to another (eg from flat-fee compensation base to a performance-fee base). Further, as the skillset of the talent becomes mismatched with market needs, then flexibility will be needed to enable enhanced responsiveness through training and development but also through job and task modifications.  Rules for engagement, disengagement and modification of engagement would need to support innovativeness, productivity and competitiveness.

Technical Report Priority policy recommendations for transforming individual ...