Role of job mobility frequency in job satisfaction changes: the mediation mechanism of job-related social capital and person‒job match

Abstract

Employees’ high job mobility is detrimental to the healthy and sustainable development of enterprises. It may be resolved by identifying the internal mechanism by which job mobility is associated with job satisfaction. However, few studies have examined it clearly. Thus, decision-making in human resource management lacks a theoretical basis. The present study attempts to fill this gap from the perspective of job-related social capital and person‒job match. Using survey data from 1348 employees with a tenure of 1–3 years in information service enterprises in China, this study conducts an empirical analysis of the aforementioned relationships. The results show that, in the context of the high frequency of job mobility, the ‘Honeymoon Effect’ has a positive association with job satisfaction in the short term. In the long term, the frequency of job mobility has a negative indirect association with job satisfaction through person‒job match and job-related social capital. Among these mediation mechanisms, job-related social capital has a positive association with person‒job match, which contributes to and strengthens the aforementioned negative intermediary process. The results highlight the positive role of job mobility frequency on job satisfaction in the short term and the negative role in the long term. The findings provide useful references and suggestions to help individuals improve their job satisfaction and enterprises to formulate efficient human resource management strategies.