Always looking for something better? The impact of job insecurity on turnover intentions: Do employables and irreplaceables react differently?

Abstract

This study contributes to the current research on the effect of job insecurity on turnover intentions by examining what happens to employees when job security is replaced with employment security. It analyzes whether perceived employability and irreplaceability (a) increase or decrease turnover intentions, or (b) buffer or intensify the negative effects of job insecurity on turnover intentions. The study focuses on an international context by using International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) data to assess the generalizability of the results. The findings show that perceived job insecurity increases turnover intentions in all countries. In addition, perceived employability increases turnover intentions in most countries, whereas weak evidence suggests that employees who feel irreplaceable are less likely to have turnover intentions. The results on the question about whether employees who feel employable or irreplaceable react differently to job insecurity – with respect to turnover intentions – vary widely between countries, and so a general conclusion about buffering effects cannot be drawn.