Job Insecurity Perceptions and Individual Well-being: Moderation by Macroeconomic Factors. A Multilevel Analysis in a Cross-Country Perspective

Aims This study examines the relationship of subjective job insecurity and macroeconomic parameters with psychological well-being, in different European countries. Applying a multilevel approach in a cross-country perspective, job insecurity and well-being are measured at the individual level, whereas country-level data refer to economic labour market statistics. Firstly, we intend to clarify the nature of the relationship between job insecurity and economic indicators (such as unemployment rate, GDP growth, social security expenditure, etc.). Secondly, we examine the interplay between subjective job insecurity and objective macroeconomic factors in explaining psychological well-being. Theoretically, the study is based on COR and emotion contagion theories. Empirically, the proposal draw on a sample of European employees from different countries. Method Data derive from ESS and EUROSTAT for some European countries. As our data set consists of two data levels (individuals and countries), multilevel analyses were used to test our hypotheses. Multilevel correlations as well as multilevel regressions including control variables were analyzed. Hierarchical linear modeling to test cross-level interactions was used for moderation hypotheses. Results Specific results and their implications will be presented during the symposium. We expect a joint impact of subjective job insecurity and objective economic parameters on individual well-being. Conclusions Our conclusions aim to evaluate if macroeconomic conditions of a country are salient for the relationship between job insecurity and well-being. In this way we may evaluate the spillover effects from economic parameters to individual perceptions of job insecurity and its outcomes. From a practical standpoint, this study might suggest that governmental politics related to employment security affect individual-level reactions to job insecurity.status: publishe