Employability as an alternative to job security
| Pages | 234-248 |
| Published date | 04 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-09-2017-0279 |
| Date | 04 February 2019 |
| Author | Vilde Hoff Bernstrøm,Ida Drange,Svenn-Erik Mamelund |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
Employability as an alternative to
job security
Vilde Hoff Bernstrøm, Ida Drange and Svenn-Erik Mamelund
Work Research Institute, OsloMet –Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
Abstract
Purpose –Employability has been suggested as an alternative to job security in response to more flexible
work arrangements, arguing that the important question for employees is no longer the security of their
current job, but their employment security in the labour market. The purpose of this paper is to test two core
assumptions of this argument: first, is employability associated with alower preference for job security? And
second, are individuals with lower job security in fact compensated with higher employability? Both
assumptions have received criticism in recent literature. The focus is on employees’perceived basic and
aspiring employability. The former refers to employees’expectations of remaining in employment and the
latter to expectations of upward mobility.
Design/methodology/approach –The data used in the analysis were nationally representative Norwegian
survey data from 12,945 employees (2009–2013).
Findings –Employees with higher aspiring employability and education levels have a significantly lower
preference for job security, but this is not the case for employees with higher basic employability.
Additionally, while employees with lower job security have higher aspiring employability, they have lower
basic employability and receive less employer-supported training.
Originality/value –The current paper is the first to investigate how employability relates to the employees’
own preference for job security. In line with critics of the employability argument, the results support that job
security continues to be an important protection mechanism. Moreover, employees with low job security lose
out twice as employers also invest less in their training and future employability.
Keywords Quantitative, Job security, Career, Aspiring employability, Basic employability,
Employer-supported training
Paper type Research paper
In recent years, the concept of employability has gained increasing attention in the
employment literature, as well as in public and political debate. An important aspect of the
debate is that we are moving away from a traditional career path where employees are loyal
to one or a few companies throughout their work life and get in return long-term
commitment from the company. Instead, employability is presented as an alternative
(Kluytmans and Ott, 1999; Pruijt and Dérogée, 2010).
The idea behind employability is that in the contemporary labour market, the
important factor for employees is not the security of their current jobs or the prospect of a
career path within their current company, but their employment security on the job
market as a whole. That is, their security in terms of remaining in employment and their
prospects for a career, irrespective of the company. By this rationale, management
scholars have argued for employability as part of a new kind of psychological contract –
rather than the promise of a stable workplace and a long-term commitment from the
company in return for the employees’efforts, the company should invest in the employees
and increase their employability in the job market (Baruch, 2001; Kluytmans and Ott,
1999). Temporary contracts and reduced job security for employees are in this manner
defended by arguing that employability, and not lifetime employment, is the new
protection mechanism in the labour market (Forrier and Sels, 2003). In reality, employees
rapidly shifting between multiple employers is not a new phenomenon (Øhren, 1997).
Nonetheless, a large number of employees do experience a lack of job security, and
employability is presented as an alternative (Kluytmans and Ott, 1999; Pruijt and
Dérogée, 2010). Recent descriptions of “employability-based”employment contracts
Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 1, 2019
pp. 234-248
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-09-2017-0279
Received 20 September 2017
Revised 5 April 2018
Accepted 4 June 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
234
PR
48,1
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