The first aim of this study was to identify trajectories of perceived employability (PE) with a longitudinal person-centered approach, accounting for both the level of PE and changes in PE. The second aim was to examine how the trajectories were related to well-being at work (i.e., vigor at work, job satisfaction, and job exhaustion) with a variable-centered approach. The data were collected in two Finnish universities (N = 926) during 2008–2010 with three measurement points. Growth Mixture Modeling identified four trajectories, which differed in level, stability, and change in PE across time: we established two trajectories with stable PE (88% of the participants), and two trajectories with a nonlinear change pattern in PE (12%). Furthermore, variable-centered analyses showed that the level of PE was positively associated with well-being at work. Moreover, in one change trajectory, the increase in PE was associated with an increase in vigor at work. Overall, these results indicate that PE can be seen as a personal resource. However, the effect of PE is minor in terms of change in employee well-being among highly educated employees.
Knowledge about the relationship between contract type and workers' well-being can be enhanced when the combined effects of contract type and job conditions are accounted for.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to test the gain and loss cycle ideas from the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory with regard to perceived employability and psychological functioning among employed workers and unemployed job seekers, respectively.
Design/methodology/approach
– More specifically, the authors argue that perceived employability may trigger a gain cycle toward well-being among employed workers (H1), while ill-being may trigger a loss cycle toward reduced (perceived) employability among unemployed job seekers (H2). The authors test these ideas with cross-lagged analysis.
Findings
– Results confirm the hypotheses: perceived employability at Time 1 positively affects well-being at Time 2 among employed workers and ill-being at Time 1 negatively impacts perceived employability at Time 2 among unemployed job seekers.
Research limitations/implications
– Future research should study the gain and loss cycles with more than two waves of data as this allows for a more adequate test of these ideas.
Practical implications
– As for practitioners, the results suggest that investing in the worker’s perceived employability by offering training, career counseling, and networking opportunities, pays off as it promotes the employee’s psychological functioning. With regard to unemployed job seekers the authors advise investing in psychological counseling: the unemployed job seeker will be more able to invest in a job search, and hence perceive employability if helped in coping with job loss.
Originality/value
– This study offers a new perspective on the relationship between perceived employability and psychological functioning by involving the principles of COR theory, in particular the gain and loss cycles.
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