Islamic Financial Services: The Challenges in Addressing the Human Capital Needs

Abstract

In the recent years, there has been a rapid evolution and expansion of the global Islamic financial services industry. Islamic banking has now been accepted as a viable and competitive mode of financial intermediation, not only in Muslim countries but also beyond the Muslim world. Amidst the growing significance of the rapidly evolving Islamic financial industry, human capital is claimed to be the defining factor in sustaining the performance and competitiveness of the industry; globally and locally. Thus, it is very important to place a strong focus on human capital development in embarking Islamic financial services encompassing education, training, research and consultancy. The objective of this study is to determine the perception among practitioners on the issues of human capital that need to be improved in order to enhance human capital knowledge. In addition to that, the study is aim to illustrate the relationship between the area of human capital that need to be emphasize by management of the industry based on employees view. The finding will reveal the elements in human capital that is perceived by employee to be critical which may allow them to contribute in the growth of Islamic banking. Moreover, the finding will also reveal the human capital elements that need to be look into by management of industry and its relationship in order to enhance as well as sustain employees' motivation and interest in the industry.