Investment in human capital and labor productivity in southern key economic zone an application of propensity score matching method

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of human capital investment in the form of formal training (off-the-job training) and estimates effects of this investment on productivity using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method. We use data from a survey of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam (completed in 2010) with detailed information about training and several firm characteristics. Our estimates reveal that investment in human capital currently does not have the considerable contribution to the improvement in productivity of SMEs. This result does not support the universalistic perspective in strategic human resource management (SHRM) theoretical model\r\n