The Public Sector — A Special Case?

Abstract

There are inherent difficulties associated with drawing conclusions about talent management in the public sector. Firstly, the public sector represents some of the largest employers in the country and, in the case of the National Health Service, the world. There is also a wide range of organisational structures, ranging from central government, local government and semi autonomous non-government organisations. These provide an array of services spanning social security, health and social care, education, police and military, environment, roads and infrastructure. The size and complexity of the sector makes comparable research of any kind problematic, not just in talent management; and the public sector as a whole continues to be neglected as a focus of research.