Creative Destruction and Human Resources

Abstract

Discussion about demography of firms and industries is asking not only for the entity of organisations but also for processes of entry and exit. Changes and shifts in the overall structure of enterprises are very often regarded as reflections of market forces which are leaded by company strategies and their management elites. Too little attention is paid to some overall trends in which deaths and births of firms are embedded. The paper tries to discuss some developments in the structure of the labour force which are regarded as an autonomous interpretation scheme for new occupations, markets and firms. The secular sectoral transformation towards the service sector is connected to the course of productivity which provides in itself the breeding ground for new organi- sations. Analysing long-term social and economic changes is one of the necessary perspectives to understand recent trends in economy and society and to arrive at a better understanding of future developments. The argument in the paper is a con- ceptual one which is highlighted by empirical observations. Evolutionary processes of creative destruction must be under- stood best by an integrated interdisciplinary approach including different aspects of market formations and socio- economic dimensions such as labour market trends, social stratification issues and life-style elements.