Search results

1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Ans De Vos, Anneleen Forrier, Beatrice Van der Heijden and Nele De Cuyper

In the current war for talent employers are concerned about the idea that the best employees are more likely to leave the organization for another employer (i.e. the management…

1605

Abstract

Purpose

In the current war for talent employers are concerned about the idea that the best employees are more likely to leave the organization for another employer (i.e. the management paradox). This study tests this management paradox. The purpose of this paper is to advance our understandings of how employees’ occupational expertise is associated with job search intensity, through its assumed relationships with perceived internal and external employability in the internal and the external labor market. The authors thereby tested the research model across three different age groups (young, middle-aged, and senior employees).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a survey among 2,137 professional workers and applied multi-group structural equation modeling.

Findings

Perceived internal employability negatively mediated the relationship between occupational expertise and job search intensity, whilst there was a positive mediational effect of perceived external employability. Age had a moderating effect on the association between perceived internal employability and job search intensity.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contribute to the scholarly literature on the management paradox, and the empirical work on employability and age.

Practical implications

Organizations can recoup their investments in expert workers’ employability and enhance their retention by providing opportunities for internal career development.

Originality/value

This study is original by including both internal and external employability. By doing so, the authors thereby shedding new light on how occupational expertise might explain job search and how this relationship differs depending on employee age, thereby using a large sample of respondents.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 November 2020

Ana Moreira, Francisco Cesário, Maria José Chambel and Filipa Castanheira

This study aims to explore the serial mediation effect of perceived internal employability and affective commitment in the relationship between the organisational practices of…

3361

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the serial mediation effect of perceived internal employability and affective commitment in the relationship between the organisational practices of competences development and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology was quantitative and is based on a survey with a sample of 313 participants, all of whom were employed in several organisations located in Portugal.

Findings

A significant and negative effect of organisational practices of competences development, perceived internal employability and affective commitment on turnover intentions was verified. A total serial mediation effect was also found from perceived internal employability and affective commitment in the relationship between organisational practices of competences development (i.e., training, individualised support and functional rotation) and turnover intentions.

Practical implications

These practices should be developed by leaders of organisations in order that employees feel that the organisation is investing in their development, which can lead to an increase in their emotional attachment towards the organisation and consequently increase their desire to stay in the organisation.

Originality/value

This study makes two important contributions. First, it confirms the existence of a significant and negative relationship between perceived internal employability and turnover intentions. Second, it proves the existence of a total serial mediation effect of perceived internal employability and affective commitment in the relationship between organisational practices of competences development and turnover intentions.

Details

European Journal of Management Studies, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2183-4172

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Yi-chun Lin

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between protean career attitude and perceived internal and external employability, along with the mediating effect of…

3386

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between protean career attitude and perceived internal and external employability, along with the mediating effect of learning-goal orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected by distributing paper-based questionnaires to 527 workers in private banking sectors in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the results of the relationships.

Findings

The results supported the idea that protean career attitude is a significant antecedent of perceived internal and external employability. Protean talents with a higher degree of protean attitude toward value-driven career orientation and self-directed career management have an external employability that is greater than their internal employability. Learning-goal orientation fully mediated the effect of protean career attitude on perceived internal employability, but only partially mediated external employability.

Practical implications

The findings can help human resource managers gain a better understanding of the use of an appropriate strategy to influence an employee’s perceived internal and external employability, which can increase the motivation and improve employer-employee relationships that contribute to organizational success and performance. Employees should recognize the increased importance of continuous learning with goal-setting in order to deal with changes at work.

Originality/value

This paper empirically establishes the association between protean career attitude and perceived internal and external employability. The protean career concept may provide organizations with a valuable perspective in the evolution of careers. Valuable and protean talents place an emphasis on individuals’ core values, and while learning goals are meant to suit employer organizations, they may also establish opportunities that could cross-organizational boundaries.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 20 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2007

Andrew Rothwell and John Arnold

Employability concerns the extent to which people possess the skills and other attributes to find and stay in work of the kind they want. It is thought by many to be a key goal…

17689

Abstract

Purpose

Employability concerns the extent to which people possess the skills and other attributes to find and stay in work of the kind they want. It is thought by many to be a key goal for individuals to aim for in managing their careers, and for organisations to foster in workforces. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a self‐report measure of individuals' perceived employability. It also seeks to examine its construct validity and correlates.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the analysis of relevant literature, this study developed 16 items which were intended collectively to reflect employability within and outside the person's current organisation, based on his or her personal and occupational attributes. This study administered these items by questionnaire to 200 human resources professionals in the UK, along with established measures of career success and professional commitment, as well as questions reflecting demographic variables.

Findings

This article retained 11 of the 16 items for assessing self‐perceived employability. Concludes that self‐perceived employability can usefully be thought of as either a unitary construct, or one with two related components – internal (to the organisation) and external employability. The measure very successfully distinguished employability from professional commitment, and fairly successfully from career success. Only slight variations in employability could be attributed to demographic characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

This research has begun to address the gap in the literature for a brief yet psychometrically adequate measure of self‐perceived individual employability.

Practical implications

This author believes that the scale can be applied to other occupational groups, in organisational consultancy, and in individual career development. It can be used either as one scale or two, depending on the purpose of the investigation.

Originality/value

Concludes that this research represents a psychometrically adequate contribution in an under‐researched field, and will lead to future research with other occupational samples, and in other settings.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 31 May 2022

Peggy M.L. Ng, Tai Ming Wut and Jason K.Y. Chan

Embedded in higher educational settings, work-integrated learning (WIL) is a key reflection to students' perceived employability. The purpose of this study is to explore the…

3168

Abstract

Purpose

Embedded in higher educational settings, work-integrated learning (WIL) is a key reflection to students' perceived employability. The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of internal and external perceived employability. The research attempts to test a theoretical model examining the relationships among human capital, work values, career self-management, internal perceived employability and external perceived employability.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 588 students who have internship experience from two self-financing higher education institutions in Hong Kong. We adopted structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the proposed research hypotheses.

Findings

Results support the idea that human capital and intrinsic work values are significant antecedents of perceived employability. Furthermore, this relationship is fully mediated by career self-management. The implications of the findings for understanding the process through which psychological variables affect an individual's perceived employability are discussed.

Originality/value

Previous studies have extensively examined the effectiveness of WIL in increasing graduates' employability. However, unclear focus has been given to examine psychological attributes, such as human capital, work values and career self-management in WIL. In addition, few researchers have empirically examined the linkages among human capital, work values, career self-management and employability through internships or WIL experiences. Therefore, to bridge these gaps, the present study examines the effect of human capital, work values and career self-management on students' perceived employability when gaining internships or WIL experiences in a higher education setting.

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2019

Gina Gaio Santos, Ana Paula Ferreira and José Carlos Pinho

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of career attitudes (traditional career vs boundaryless career) on perceived employability (internal vs external employability

1225

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of career attitudes (traditional career vs boundaryless career) on perceived employability (internal vs external employability). In addition, the authors examine whether career self-management strategies act as mediators of these relationships. Due to high unemployment rates in the last two decades, it is important to assess the extent to which young graduates’ career attitudes affect perceived internal and external employability, along with the role of career self-management strategies as an employability enhancement tool.

Design/methodology/approach

As part of a cross-sectional research design, the authors administered a survey questionnaire to a sample of 131 graduates (i.e. master’s students) with at least one year of work experience. The empirical data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling, which combines confirmatory factor analysis, multiple linear regression and path analysis.

Findings

The results reveal that there is a positive and significant impact (direct effect) of a traditional career attitude (TCA) on internal employability, while there is no significant negative impact of a TCA on external employability. Additionally, the results show that there is a negative impact (direct effect) of a boundaryless career attitude (BCA) on internal employability, while no significant positive impact is found of a BCA on external employability. This study also confirms the mediation effect (full mediation) of career positioning strategies on the BCA-external employability relationship, and a partial mediation of career influence strategies on the TCA-internal employability relationship.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of this study relate to the sample size and the use of a convenience sampling technique. Hence, some caution is needed regarding results’ generalization. In addition, this research uses a cross-sectional design, thus the authors cannot assess longitudinal causal relationships between variables. Future research should be replicated with different types of respondents and in different cultural contexts.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations would benefit more from employees that hold a TCA than those that hold a BCA, especially if they are interested in fostering the internal employability of their workforce. At the individual level, the results identify optimal career self-management strategies (internal vs external employability) for young graduates.

Originality/value

This study offers new empirical evidence of the predictive value of perceived internal vs external employability and the mediating role of career self-management strategies in explaining employability. Young graduates perceive a TCA as more advantageous than a BCA for both internal and external employability. This is an unexpected but interesting finding, since the bulk of the literature on contemporary career attitudes overemphasizes the advantages of a BCA, while disregarding potential disadvantages for both individuals and organizations.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2022

Nimmi P M, K.A. Zakkariya and Anju Varghese Philip

Skill obsolescence among employees can be detrimental to organizational performance and can lead to an ensuing decline in the wellbeing of employees. Today's organizations bank on…

3083

Abstract

Purpose

Skill obsolescence among employees can be detrimental to organizational performance and can lead to an ensuing decline in the wellbeing of employees. Today's organizations bank on the employability skills of their human capital to stay afloat in business. The current study examines the impact of developing an employability culture in the organization, the perceived internal employability developed in the employees and impact on employee wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

Research data were gathered from a sample of 421 software engineers in private IT companies in India. Structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS was conducted to examine the impact of employability culture and perceived internal employability on the three dimensions of employee wellbeing.

Findings

The study found a positive relationship between employability culture and the components of employee wellbeing. A partial mediation by perceived internal employability was reported between employability culture and the three components of employee wellbeing.

Research limitations/implications

The study is a focused attempt on discerning the effect of organizational elements in the form of employability culture on the employee perceptions and the state of wellbeing, which are considered valuable resources in the career context. The study reiterates the prominence of contextual factors in employees' resource enhancement.

Originality/value

The study is a unique approach to determine the effect of perceived internal employability and employability culture on employee wellbeing based on the social cognitive career theory and the conservation of resources theory.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Sophie Hennekam

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the baby boomer generation and the veteran generation in the Netherlands perceive their own employability and how this is related to…

1007

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the baby boomer generation and the veteran generation in the Netherlands perceive their own employability and how this is related to their self-reported job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 973 workers in employment aged 45 and over filled out a survey measuring self-perceived employability and self-reported job performance. Data were analyzed by the use of t-tests and multiple regression.

Findings

Based on the human capital theory, it was found that self-perceived employability was positively related to self-reported job performance. However, in contradiction with our expectations, the veterans perceived their internal and external employability as more positive than the baby boomers.

Originality/value

This study distinguishes between two generations that are part of the group “older workers”. Moreover, we show that a positive relationship exists between one’s perception of one’s own employability and their self-reported performance.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Dorien Vanhercke, Nele De Cuyper, Ellen Peeters and Hans De Witte

– The purpose of this paper is to define employability within the psychological literature with a focus upon perceived employability.

9393

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define employability within the psychological literature with a focus upon perceived employability.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the aim, the paper defines five objectives as follows. First, the paper discusses how employability is interpreted in the psychological literature. Second, the paper defines perceived employability within this literature. Third, the paper goes one step further by comparing the perceived employability approach to other approaches in the psychological field, namely, approaches based on competences and dispositions. The paper concludes with an integration of the three approaches into a process model to demonstrate their interrelationships, which the authors see as the fourth objective. With approach, the paper refers to a specific view on employability, including both definitions and measures, which share significant common ground. Finally, the paper highlights some implications.

Findings

The paper concludes that each approach comes with specific advantages and disadvantages. Researchers and practitioners should use an approach according to the general research question one aims to address.

Originality value

The authors believe to contribute to the employability literature in the following ways. First, the paper raises awareness that not all psychological notions of employability are equal, though they are often treated as such in the literature. Second, the paper highlights how perceived employability is tied to competences and dispositions. That is, though all notions are clearly different, they are also related.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 43 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2023

Merve Gerçek

This study aims to explore the relationships between career competencies and job search self-efficacy via the serial multiple mediation effect of career adaptability and self…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationships between career competencies and job search self-efficacy via the serial multiple mediation effect of career adaptability and self-perceived employability within multiple theoretical frameworks.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a cross-sectional design to collect data at a specific point in time and employs self-report questionnaires to collect data from participants. In total, 302 students from the “management and organization department” in a vocational school of a public university completed the survey forms. To test the hypothesized model, a serial multiple mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) via SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures).

Findings

The results indicated that career competencies, career adaptability, job search self-efficacy and self-perceived employability all had significant and positive relationships. Additionally, the relationship between career competencies and job search self-efficacy was serially mediated by career adaptability and self-perceived employability as anticipated.

Practical implications

Considering the growing importance of the subject of how universities might better prepare their graduates for the job market, the study's findings have important policy implications. University students should also be provided with career management resources, specifically adaptation resources, to help them navigate their individual characteristics and transfer more successfully into the existing job market. This is the cause of the need for constant planning, adaptation, assessment and evaluation of career competencies in current labor markets.

Originality/value

The study contributes to international career development and vocational education research by filling a gap in the literature by demonstrating that job search self-efficacy, which is a predictor of job search behavior, can be promoted by career competencies, career adaptability and self-perceived employability. These findings are particularly significant because they highlight the importance of career-related knowledge, skills and abilities in engaging university students seeking employment in a developing country with a highly competitive labor market.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000