1. Job Insecurity Part 1: Definitions & Antecedents
Magnus Sverke Chair of Work and Organizational Psychology
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University

2. Content History Why is job insecurity a problem?
Definitions and measurements
Prevalence: Are workers insecure?
Antecedents: What ‘causes’ insecurity?
Consequences for individuals, organisations and society?
What to do? Interventions and moderators
What to analyse in the future?
Magnus Sverke

3. Magnus Sverke magnus.sverke@psychology.su.se

4. Trends Downsizing / layoffs Mergers, acquisitions, privatization
Outsourcing / focus on core activities
”Flexible” employment; insourcing
Restructuring; new production systems
Reduced personnel costs
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5. Consequences for the Individual
Decrease in alternatives on the labor market
Workload increases:
“Do more with less”
Work intensity
Reduced predictability
Uncertainty about the future
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6. 1. Historical Background
Originally, job security (as motivation factor)
Caplan et al. (1975): multi-item measure of job insecurity in stress-strain inventory
Greenhalgh & Rosenblatt (1984). Job insecurity. Toward conceptual clarity, AMR.
Hartley, Jacobson, Klandermans & van Vuuren (1991). Job insecurity: Coping with jobs at risk.
… ”explosion”
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7. Job Insecurity within Theory
Three positions of ‘job insecurity’ within (recent) work psychological theories: (a) ignored, (b) marginalized, or (c) hidden within a broader dimension, but (d) almost never a ‘separate treatment’
a) Simply ignored:
Job Characteristic Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1975)
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8. b) Marginal position
- Michigan Job Stress model (Katz & Kahn 1978): ‘empty boxes’, ‘insecurity about the future’ as a stressor leading to strains (and health complaints on the long run)
- Job Demands Control model of Karasek (1979): demands, control (and later also) social support
After a while: also job insecurity, but a bit as a (not integrated) ‘additional bonus’
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9. c) Part of a broader dimension/concept:
- Two-Factor (or Motivator-Hygiene) Theory (Herzberg, 1966)
Security = hygiene need -> when absent (e.g. insecurity) -> dissatisfaction
When present -> ‘neutral’
- Effort-Reward Imbalance model (Siegrist, 1996)
Security as part of the ‘reward’ dimension (high efforts & low rewards -> strains)
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10. - Vitamin model (Warr, 1987):
lists 9 ‘features of the environment’ (‘vitamins’)
(In)security as part of ‘environmental clarity’ (together with feedback & role ambiguity)
Main conclusion:
Little theory about insecurity as such:
why is it harmful?
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11. 2. Why is job insecurity a problem?
Job Stress Theory – Uncertainty
Consequences of stressors
Psychological Contract Theory
Disinvolvement Syndrome
Latent Deprivation Model (Jahoda)
Please, suggest many more! 
(we do collect them…)
This is obviously a missing piece in existing research
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12. a. Uncertainty and unpredictability are stressful (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)
Perceived threat to employment
Unpredictability (“I don’t know whether I will loose my job”)
Not known what is required to reduce the threat or what strategies to use
Uncontrollability (“I don’t know whether I can prevent dismissal/job loss”)
Worry about job loss may be as stressful as actual job loss
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13. b. Stressors Induce Strain (Greenhalgh, 1979)
Burden -> preoccupied & loss of energy
Immobilisation & loss of time
Reduction of adaptability
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14. c. Violation of the psychological contract (Rousseau, 1989)
Traditional employee-employer relationship:
Employer offers security and continuity
Employee offers loyalty and devotion in exchange
Job insecurity is perceived as a violation of the psychological contract with the employer
This leads to negative consequences in an attempt to restore the balance
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15. d. Disinvolvement Syndrome (Greenhalgh, 1979)
Reducing the psychological impact of an eventual loss by withdrawing from the organisation
(passive coping strategy)
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16. e. Anticipation of deprivation (‘Latent deprivation model’ of Jahoda, 1982)
Work is ‘key’ to social integration. Job insecurity means a risk to loose valued aspects of life:
Income
Time structure
Social contacts
Meaningfulness
Personal development
Status and Identity
Activation …
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17. What Is Threatened?
What do you think is the most salient threat in perceptions of uncertainty about the future of one’s job?
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18. 3. Definitions and Measurements
Important questions:
Subjective vs. Objective phenomenon?
Cognitive (likelihood of job loss) vs. Affective (worry about job loss)?
Quantitative (threats to job as such) vs. Qualitative (threats to valued job features)?
Acute vs. Chronic?
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19. A Model Individual characteristics Organizational and social factors
(e.g., age, gender, personality, employability)
Job insecurity
perceptions
Consequences
”Objective”
work situation
Organizational and social factors
(e.g., social support, information, turbulence)
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20. ”Objective” Definitions
Degree of unemployment in society
Economic recession in a given sector
Average organizational tenure
Organizational change
Downsizing/layoffs
Temporary employment
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21. Subjective Definition of Job Insecurity
An employee´s…
“…expectations about continuity in a job situation” (Davy et al., 1997)
“…concern about the future permanence of the job” (van Vuuren & Klandermans, 1990)
“…perception of a potential threat to continuity in his or her current job” (Heaney et al., 1994)
”…subjectively perceived likelihood of involuntary job loss” (Sverke et al., 2002)
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22. Key Aspects in Subjective Definitions
Subjective: perceptual phenomenon
Different perception of same ‘objective’ situation
Uncertainty about the future
Not ‘certainty of dismissal’
Involuntary
Discrepancy between experience and preferences
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23. Measures Single-item measures Multi-item measures
Perceived likelihood of getting unemployed
Fear of job loss
Satisfaction with perceived security
Multi-item measures
Global
Multi-dimensional
N.B. Effects of insecurity on outcomes less “obvious” when single-item measures are being used
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24. Multi-item Measures
Global: (Threat to job/features * Importance of job/features) * Powerlessness (Ashord et al., 1989)
Probability * Severity (van Vuuren, 1990)
Global and Importance (Kinnunen et al., 1999)
Affective and Cognitive (Borg & Elizur, 1992)
Threats to various features (Roskies & Louis-Guerin, 1990)
Quantitative and Qualitative (Hellgren et al., 1999)
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25. 4. Prevalence: Do workers feel insecure ?
Obviously yes…
But it depends…
Measure (cognitive versus affective, short term versus long term,…)
Point-scale (neutral midpoint?)
When? (fluctuations; e.g. unemployment)
Where? (Europe or specific countries)
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26. Cognitive Item: “My job is secure” (Erlinghagen, 2007)
European Social Survey
17 European countries
Average: 14% ‘not at all’ (= high insecurity)
Distribution between 8.9% (Austria) and 26.3% (France)
Eurobarometer 1996 & 2001: very similar percentages
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27. Affective Item: “Do you worry about the possibilities of losing your job” (Anderson & Pontusson, 2007)
International Social Survey Program, 1997
15 OECD countries
Combination of ‘to some extent’ and ‘a great deal’: around 20-25%
Distribution between 11% (Norway) and 54% (Spain)
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28. 4. Antecedents: Why do people feel insecure?
Individual characteristics
(e.g., age, gender, personality, employability)
Job insecurity
perceptions
Consequences
”Objective”
work situation
Organizational and social factors
(e.g., social support, information, turbulence)
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29. a. ”Objective” characteristics Characteristics of the environment
Rate of organizational change
Unemployment rate
Evolution of unemployment in region or country
Rate of temporary employment
Employment protection legislation
Generosity of unemployment compensation
Differences between countries and regions
(e.g. Anderson & Pontusson, 2007; Erlinghagen, 2007; Munoz de Bustillo & de Pedraza, 2007)
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30. b. Subjective characteristics: Dispositions
Internal locus of control: perceive less threat/strain (e.g. van Vuuren et al., 1991; Sverke et al., 2004)
Negative affectivity: perceive more negative emotions (e.g. Sverke et al., 2004; Hellgren et al., 1999)
Many more… Trust in people, self-esteem, positive affectivity, self-efficacy,…
But: clearly not ‘just’ personality!
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31. c. Subjective characteristics: Demographics etc
Weak/disadvantaged position on the labour market
Blue collar workers, low skilled workers & industry (e.g. Ferrie & Martikainen, 2007)
Temporary workers (e.g. Näswall & De Witte, 2003; De Cuyper & De Witte, 2007)
Bad health (Erlinghagen, 2007)
Private sector employment (e.g. Anderson & Pontusson, 2007)
Family situation / Breadwinner status
P.S.: Age and gender unclear
Sometimes younger workers (Anderson & Pontusson, 2007), sometimes older workers (Erlinghagen, 2007)
Gender: mostly non significant
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32. d. Organizational characteristics
Information
Communication
Leadership
Opportunities for participation
Fair treatment
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33. Discussion
How important are objective vs. subjective characteristics as antecedents?
‘Objective’: outline or border of perception?
‘Subjective’: inter individual variation within these ‘borders’ ?
‘Subjective’ does not mean ‘unrelated to reality’
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34. Task
Imagine you are a manager who has to communicate a layoff decision to one of your subordinates
How would you communicate this redundancy decision?
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35. Magnus Sverke magnus.sverke@psychology.su.se

36. Part 2: Thursday 16-19 History Why is job insecurity a problem?
Definitions and measurements
Prevalence: Are workers insecure?
Antecedents: What ‘causes’ insecurity?
Consequences for individuals, organisations and society?
What to do? Interventions and moderators
What to analyse in the future?
Magnus Sverke

37. www.psychology.su.se mse@psychology.su.se
Magnus Sverke