Employer networks for human capital: a scoping review on their drivers, dynamics and outcomes

Purpose Organizations across various sectors are facing human capital issues (i.e. developing, attracting and retaining human capital) caused by a strained labour market. To tackle these challenges, a new phenomenon is emerging: employer networks. In these networks, independent organizations collaborate to address common human capital issues. A comprehensive review of the drivers, underlying collaboration mechanisms, and outcomes, however, is lacking. This scoping review addresses this gap, provides an overview of published papers on employer networks focussing on human capital issues, presents the relevant findings on drivers, mechanisms and outcomes, and formulates suggestions for future research. Design/methodology/approach This review follows the Prisma guidelines for a systematic literature review. Consulting five databases, complemented by the forward-backwards snowballing method, resulted in 14 eligible empirical studies on employer networks with a specific focus on human capital. Findings Different actors (e.g. public and private organizations, employees and job seekers) participate in employer networks. Contextual factors, such as a strained labour market and technological innovations, are drivers of employers' cooperation within a network. Various stakeholders assess the networking approach as positive if it supports the network's purpose. Employer networks foster the employability and mobility of both employees and job seekers. Reinforcing structural and interpersonal factors or mechanisms influences the collaboration process in employer networks. Originality/value This review provides insight into employer networks related to human capital topics. It presents an overview of important drivers, collaboration mechanisms and network outcomes and identifies topics for future research.