Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of job embeddedness (JE) theory to employees in manufacturing SMEs in Central Java, Indonesia, and to qualitatively assess the transferability of the JE framework and its measure to these distinctive contexts....

SMEs are major employers in Indonesian, yet little is known about human resource management (HRM) practices that they employ. This study focused on hiring, developing, and retaining employees in manufacturing SMEs in Central Java, Indonesia in comparison to the dominant discourse on HRM in SMEs....