Sustainable HRM in International Business: A Research Agenda for Inequality and the SDGs

ABSTRACT This perspective article addresses the grand challenge of reducing inequalities—aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG10; Reduced Inequalities)—in the context of multinational corporations (MNCs), positioning it as a critical research agenda for sustainable human resource management (S‐HRM) in international business (IB). Adopting a perspective‐based research design, it integrates a narrative integrative review, conceptual mapping, and problem‐focused and theory‐informed reasoning across a century‐long timeframe (1925–2024) to interrogate the underexplored S‐HRM–inequality nexus in IB. The analysis highlights that—despite growing global attention to inequality from governments, regulatory bodies, and business communities—this issue remains largely overlooked in the S‐HRM and IB literature, where it is often subsumed under the generic concept of “social sustainability,” thereby limiting both conceptual clarity and practical impact. If S‐HRM research is to remain at the forefront of global business scholarship, it cannot disregard the pressing challenge of inequality reduction. This article makes three contributions: (1) it identifies the conceptual boundaries of inequality within S‐HRM in IB, distinguishing it from traditional CSR and exposing overlooked theoretical and empirical blind spots; (2) it delineates major theoretical, empirical and methodological gaps; and (3) it advances a structured, forward‐looking research agenda that spans diverse institutional contexts, types of inequality, and theoretical lenses. By linking early legal and normative commitments to inequality eradication with contemporary organizational practices, the article builds a comprehensive foundation for advancing S‐HRM scholarship capable of addressing SDG 10 as both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity in global business. It calls on policymakers and international regulatory bodies to encourage MNCs to embed inequality‐reduction objectives into S‐HRM strategies, making SDG 10 a core element of corporate accountability frameworks to promote equitable socio‐economic outcomes in both host and home countries. Ultimately, this article extends the S‐HRM literature in IB, outlines practical and theoretical pathways for addressing the grand challenge of inequality, and establishes common ground between S‐HRM and inequality research by presenting a robust research agenda to advance knowledge in both domains.