Effective Human Resource Management Strategies for Rebuilding Professional Identity Following Job Displacement: A Systematic Literature Review

Amal  Jaber Fzaea; Seyed Hosein  Kazemi; Mehdi  Mortazavi

Authors

Amal Jaber Fzaea Department of Public Administration, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7201-7587
Seyed Hosein Kazemi Department of Public Administration, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8458-3834
Mehdi Mortazavi Department of Public Administration, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8680-229X

Keywords:

Human Resource Management Strategies, Professional Identity Reconstruction, Job Displacement, Career Adaptability, Workforce Mobility, Career Transition

Abstract

This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on how Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies address professional identity tensions and facilitate identity reconstruction, career adaptability, psychological resilience, and sustainable career transition following involuntary job displacement. A systematic search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by backward citation searching, using keywords related to HRM strategies, professional identity reconstruction, job displacement, workforce mobility, career transition, and post-displacement adaptation. The search identified 861 records, which were subjected to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and multi-stage screening consistent with PRISMA principles. Following title, abstract, methodological, conceptual, relevance, and full-text assessments, 46 empirical and theoretical studies were retained. The review integrated qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, longitudinal, and conceptual evidence across HRM, organizational behavior, career studies, human resource development, and vocational psychology. The synthesis indicated that professional identity reconstruction following displacement is a nonlinear, iterative, relational, and structurally conditioned process rather than a simple restoration of a previous occupational identity. Retraining, reskilling, redeployment, outplacement, career coaching, mentoring, and developmental support facilitated reconstruction most effectively when embedded within inclusive and psychologically supportive HR architectures. Their effects operated through enhanced coping self-efficacy, social support, narrative coherence, career adaptability, self-directed learning, and professional agency. Structural barriers, including ageism, migration-related exclusion, skill mismatch, and restricted developmental opportunities, weakened these effects and demonstrated that individual adaptability alone is insufficient. Evidence further suggested that standardized interventions may constrain identity autonomy when they impose narrow employability expectations. Effective post-displacement HRM should integrate skills development, psychological support, career adaptability, identity work, and inclusive organizational practices within a coherent multi-level framework that recognizes both individual agency and structural constraints. Stronger longitudinal, quantitative, intervention-based, and intersectional research is required to establish the long-term effectiveness and generalizability of these approaches.

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