To date, little research has examined the human resources side of sustainability. To bridge this gap, we examined human resource management (HRM) practices and sustainable development in the micro-level higher education context in Oman. Quantitative research was used to test the predictors of sustainable development. We received 347 responses from employees working in 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Oman. The structural as well as measurement model was calculated using SmartPLS. The result showed that training is a unique source of creating sustainability. The mediating effect of knowledge retention was found to play a significant role in this relationship. We found that many HEIs need to do more to make employees understand the importance of their contribution to the achievement of this goal. HEIs play a significant role in the development as well as implementation of sustainable practices. Significantly, we enrich the understanding of the emerging universal wave of sustainability by identifying how vital HRM practices impact sustainable development from an academic and professional perspective. The study is restricted to Oman, but the research impact and applicability may be conducted in another environment or sectors. Sustainability and knowledge retention in HEIs are paramount issues for everyone.
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