Global economic and technological challenges as determinants of human resource management transformation: A bibliometric analysis of research trends

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractRecent global disruptions have substantially reshaped organizational environments and labor markets, including the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid diffusion of publicly accessible artificial intelligence technologies, accelerated digitalization of organizational processes and remote work, and geopolitical instability such as Russian-Ukrainian war. This study aims to map and analyze the structure of research on human resource management (HRM) transformation in the context of global economic and technological challenges. The analysis is based on bibliometric methods applied to WoS-indexed publications from 2020 to 2025, using keyword co-occurrence analysis, thematic clustering, and network visualization techniques. The dataset includes 1,248 scientific publications and 4,317 author keywords, indicating a rapid expansion of research on HRM transformation during the analyzed period. Five major thematic clusters were identified, with the largest cluster related to digital HRM, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic management, accounting for approximately 28% of publications. Research on sustainable and green HRM is the second-largest thematic area (21%), reflecting the growing importance of environmental and ESG-related organizational strategies. Studies on employee well-being, remote work, and crisis-driven HRM adaptation account for about 18% of the literature, highlighting the long-term organizational consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results also reveal emerging yet underdeveloped research directions in AI-driven HR analytics, the ethical aspects of algorithmic decision-making, and HRM responses to geopolitical and economic instability. The findings demonstrate that contemporary HRM research is increasingly shaped by digital transformation, sustainability pressures, and global systemic crises, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches to understanding HRM adaptation in rapidly changing environments.AcknowledgmentThis paper was supported by the Agency for Research and Development Support based on the contract no. APVV-VV-MVP-24-0299 entitled “New trends in human resource management in the context of global challenges of the 21st century”.