Enhancing Human Resource Productivity Using

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide enormous potential for enhancing productivity of human resources in both public and private sectors. However, net returns on ICTs capital have been observed to be higher in many of the developed countries than in developing countries. This is because ICTs have enhanced productivity and competitiveness in various organisational processes including management of human resources in both public and public sectors. Using some examples from both developed and developing countries, the paper demonstrates how ICTs can enhance human resource productivity. However, most of the developing countries including Tanzania are yet to catch up with the above productivity enhancement observed in developed countries. The paper discusses some of the prerequisites needed to attain high human resource productivity from ICTs. For example, it is demonstrated that some of the recruitment and selection as well as promotion procedures do not value the ICT professional skills but academic qualifications for specific jobs requiring ICTs skills. The paper ends with some recommendations on how developing countries can raise the effectiveness of deploying ICTs in managing scarce resources including human resource. Some of the recommended measures have potentials through various ICTs multiplier effects to benefit local economies too if managed effectively.