This concluding discussion re-connects with some of the key themes presented in previous contributions to this Special Issue. Adopting a systems view, this discussion attempts to broaden the terms of reference for the aforementioned themes. Drawing on a review of recent HRM literature, we proposes a number of topics that HRM researchers, policy makers and practitioners might elaborate on in future contexts for investigating, formulating and implementing their responses to ageing societies in Germany, in Japan and, indeed, across other nationally or regionally defined societies that are subject to processes of demographic shift.