Papeles del Psicólogo (Jan 2014)
JOB INSECURITY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ECONOMIC CRISIS
Abstract
In the present climate, job insecurity has become one of the most relevant sources of stress for workers. It is especially serious in Spain due to the high unemployment rates in this period of crisis. An important body of research has been developed in an attempt to better understand this phenomenon. In recent years, the Institute of Human Resources Psychology, Organizational Development and Quality of Working Life (IDOCAL) has contributed to various of the most determinant dimensions of the research on job insecurity. The determinants have been identified as tenure, employability in the labor market, underemployment, and job self-efficacy. Furthermore, progress has been made in the research on the diversity of the types of contracts, job insecurity and the effects on workers. The studies that examine the role of the intervening factors are especially relevant. In this context, our research has identified that factors such as organizational justice, organizational justice climate, organizational support, employability, job dependence and psychological distancing explained the variability in job insecurity. Finally, IDOCAL’s contributions have been especially important in examining job insecurity as a collective phenomenon and showing how it can affect employees’ outcomes above and beyond their individual perceptions. On the basis of this research, a series of implications for professional practice has been presented in this article.
