Articles

Is What’s Past Prologue? A Review and Agenda for Contemporary Employability Research

Mississippi State University

Radboud University, Open University of the Netherlands, Ghent University, Hubei University, Wuhan, and Kingston University, London

Search for more papers by this author

Ans De Vos

Antwerp Management School and University of Antwerp

Search for more papers by this author

Anneleen Forrier

KU Leuven

Search for more papers by this author

and

Nele De Cuyper

KU Leuven

Search for more papers by this author

Published Online:2 Feb 2021https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2018.0171

View article

Abstract

Employability, which is commonly conceptualized as one’s ability to realize job opportunities within and between employers over time, has attracted considerable attention from diverse academic disciplines for decades. Research in these disciplines has largely evolved independent of other fields, thus limiting the accumulation, validation, advancement, and utility of employability. Two central stakeholders in much of this research are employers and employees, yet the vast majority of studies since the year 2000 have failed to explicitly consider this interdependence, instead being characterized by an overwhelming emphasis on the employee and individual agency. Conversely, the comparatively limited research examining the employer perspective has often excluded consideration of the employee. Our review highlights these characteristics, along with outlining other common critical issues and recommendations for overcoming them. We also articulate how social exchange theory can serve as an underlying mechanism to integrate research within and between disciplines, and we present the strategic employability architecture framework based on strategic human resource management to facilitate integration of employer and employee perspectives.

REFERENCES

Acikgoz, Y., Sumer, C., & Sumer, N. 2016. Do employees leave just because they can? Examining the perceived employability–turnover intentions relationship. Journal of Psychology, 150: 666–683. Google Scholar
Aeberhardt, R., Coudin, E., & Rathelot, R. 2017. The heterogeneity of ethnic employment gaps. Journal of Population Economics, 30: 307–337. Google Scholar
Agrawal, A., & Tambe, P. 2016. Private equity and workers’ career paths: The role of technological change. Review of Financial Studies, 29: 2455–2489. Google Scholar
Ahmed, A., Granberg, M., & Lang, E. 2017. Does having one’s own place to live make someone more employable? Applied Economics Letters, 24: 1327–1330. Google Scholar
Ahonen, E. Q., Fujishiro, K., Cunningham, T., & Flynn, M. 2018. Work as an inclusive part of population health inequities research and prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 108: 306–311. Google Scholar
Akkermans, J., Brenninkmeijer, V., Huibers, M., & Blonk, R. W. 2013. Competencies for the contemporary career: Development and preliminary validation of the Career Competencies Questionnaire. Journal of Career Development, 40: 245–267. Google Scholar
Akkermans, J., Brenninkmeijer, V., Schaufeli, W. B., & Blonk, R. W. B. 2015. It’s all about CareerSKILLS: Effectiveness of a career development intervention for young employees. Human Resource Management, 54: 533–551. Google Scholar
Akkermans, J., & Tims, M. 2017. Crafting your career: How career competencies related to career success via job crafting. Applied Psychology, 66: 168–195. Google Scholar
Altman, B. W., & Post, J. E. 1996. Beyond the social contract. In D. T. Hall and Associates (Eds.), The career is dead—Long live the career: A relational approach to careers: 46–71. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Google Scholar
Arocena, P., Núñez, I., & Villanueva, M. 2007. The effect of enhancing workers’ employability on small and medium enterprises: Evidence from Spain. Small Business Economics, 29: 191–201. Google Scholar
Arthur, M. B. 1994. The boundaryless career: A new perspective for organizational inquiry. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15: 295–306. Google Scholar
Arthur, M. B., & Rousseau, D. M. 1996. The boundaryless career. London, U.K.: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar
Atkinson, J. 1984. Manpower strategies for flexible organizations. Personnel Management, 16(8): 28–31. Google Scholar
Bailey, D., Chapain, C., & de Ruyter, A. 2012. Employment outcomes and plant closure in a post-industrial city: An analysis of the labour market status of MG Rover workers three years on. Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland), 49: 1595–1612. Google Scholar
Baruch, Y. 2001. Employability: A substitute for loyalty? Human Resource Development International, 4: 543–566. Google Scholar
Batastini, A. B., Bolanos, A. D., & Morgan, R. D. 2014. Attitudes toward hiring applicants with mental illness and criminal justice involvement: The impact of education and experience. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 37: 524–533. Google Scholar
Baum, S., Bill, A., & Mitchell, W. 2008. Labour underutilisation in metropolitan labour markets in Australia: Individual characteristics, personal circumstances and local labour markets. Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland), 45: 1193–1216. Google Scholar
Becker, G. S. 1994. Human capital revisited. In Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis with special reference to education, third edition: 15–28. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Google Scholar
Beltran-Martin, I., Roca-Puig, V., Escrig-Tena, A., & Bou-Llusar, J. C. 2008. Human resource flexibility as a mediating variable between high performance work systems and performance. Journal of Management, 34: 1009–1044. Google Scholar
Benson, G. S. 2006. Employee development, commitment and intention to turnover: A test of “employability” policies in action. Human Resource Management Journal, 16: 173–192. Google Scholar
Berglund, T., Furaker, B., & Vulkan, P. 2014. Is job insecurity compensated for by employment and income security? Economic and Industrial Democracy, 35: 165–184. Google Scholar
Berntson, E., & Marklund, S. 2007. The relationship between perceived employability and subsequent health. Work & Stress, 21(3): 279–292. Google Scholar
Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. 2008. Investigating the relationship between employability and self-efficacy: A cross-lagged analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17(4): 413–425. Google Scholar
Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. 2010. The moderating role of employability in the association between job insecurity and exit, voice, loyalty and neglect. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 31: 215–230. Google Scholar
Berntson, E., Sverke, M., & Marklund, S. 2006. Predicting perceived employability: Human capital or labour market opportunities? Economic and Industrial Democracy, 27: 223–244. Google Scholar
Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. 2004. Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. American Economic Review, 94: 991–1013. Google Scholar
Blau, P. M. 1964. Exchange and power in social life. New York, NY: Wiley. Google Scholar
Bottcher, K., Albrecht, A. G., Venz, L., & Felfe, J. 2018. Protecting older workers’ employability: A survey study of the role of transformational leadership. German Journal of Human Resource Management—Zeitschrift Fur Personalforschung, 32: 120–148. Google Scholar
Boxall, P. 1999. The strategic HRM debate and the resource-based view of the firm. In R. S. SchulerS. E. Jackson (Eds.), Strategic human resource management: 73–89. Oxford, U.K.: Blackwell Business. Google Scholar
Bricout, J. C., & Bentley, K. J. 2000. Disability status and perceptions of employability by employers. Social Work Research, 24: 87–95. Google Scholar
Brown, S. D., & Krane, N. E. 2000. Four (or five) sessions and a cloud of dust: Old assumptions and new observations about career counseling. In R. W. LentS. D. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology: 740–766. New York, NY: Wiley. Google Scholar
Buckman, D. G., Johnson, A. D., & Alexander, D. L. 2018. Internal vs external promotion: Advancement of teachers to administrators. Journal of Educational Administration, 56: 33–49. Google Scholar
Campolieti, M., Gomez, R., & Gunderson, M. 2009. Volunteering, income support programs and persons with disabilities. Relations Industrielles [Industrial Relations], 64(2): 189–209. Google Scholar
Camps, J., & Rodriguez, H. 2011. Transformational leadership, learning, and employability effects on performance among faculty members. Personnel Review, 40: 423–442. Google Scholar
Camps, J., & Torres, F. 2011. Contingent reward leader behaviour: Where does it come from? Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 28: 212–230. Google Scholar
Cascio, W. F. 1995. Whither industrial and organizational psychology in a changing world of work? American Psychologist, 50: 928–939. Google Scholar
Chambel, M. J., & Sobral, F. 2011. Training is an investment with return in temporary workers: A social exchange perspective. Career Development International, 16: 161–177. Google Scholar
Chambel, M. J., Sobral, F., Espada, M., & Curral, L. 2015. Training, exhaustion, and commitment of temporary agency workers: A test of employability perceptions. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24: 15–30. Google Scholar
Chen, D. J. Q., & Lim, V. K. G. 2012. Strength in adversity: The influence of psychological capital on job search. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33: 811–839. Google Scholar
Chiesa, R., Fazi, L., Guglielmi, D., & Mariani, M. G. 2018. Enhancing sustainability: Psychological capital, perceived employability, and job insecurity in different work contract conditions. Sustainability, 10(7): 2475. Google Scholar
Christie, F. 2017. The reporting of university league table employability rankings: A critical review. Journal of Education and Work, 30: 403–418. Google Scholar
Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R. W., & Nakagawa, S. 2013. Social exchange theory. In J. DeLameterA. Ward (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology: 61–88. Dordrecht, Germany: Springer. Google Scholar
Coyle-Shapiro, J., & Shore, L. 2007. The employee–organization relationship: Where do we go from here? Human Resource Management Review, 17: 166–179. Google Scholar
Cronin, M. A., & Vancouver, J. B. 2018. The only constant is change: Expanding theory by incorporating dynamic properties into one’s models. In S. E. HumphreyJ. M. Le Breton (Eds.), The handbook for multilevel theory, measurement, and analysis. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google Scholar
Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. 2005. Social exchange theory: An interdisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 31: 874–900. Google Scholar
Croucher, R., Ramakrishnan, S., Rizov, M., & Benzinger, D. 2018. Perceptions of employability among London’s low-paid: “Self-determination’ or ethnicity? Economic and Industrial Democracy, 39: 109–130. Google Scholar
Davies, B, Diemand-Yauman, C., & Van Dam, N. 2019, February 1. Competitive advantage with a human dimension: From lifelong learning to lifelong employability. McKinsey Quarterly: 1–5. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Baillien, E., & De Witte, H. 2009. Job insecurity, perceived employability and targets’ and perpetrators’ experiences of workplace bullying. Work and Stress, 23: 206–224. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Bernhard-Oettel, C., Berntson, E., De Witte, H., & Alarco, B. 2008. Employability and employees’ well-being: Mediation by job insecurity 1. Applied Psychology, 57(3): 488–509. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., & De Witte, H. 2011. The management paradox: Self-rated employability and organizational commitment and performance. Personnel Review, 40: 152–172. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., De Witte, H., & Van Emmerik, H. 2011. Temporary employment: Costs and benefits for (the careers of) employees and organizations. Career Development International, 16(2): 104–113. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Mäkikangas, A., Kinnunen, U., Mauno, S., & De Witte, H. 2012. Cross-lagged associations between perceived external employability, job insecurity, and exhaustion: Testing gain and loss spirals according to the Conservation of Resources Theory. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33: 770–788. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Mauno, S., Kinnunen, U., & Makikangas, A. 2011. The role of job resources in the relation between perceived employability and turnover intention: A prospective two-sample study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78: 253–263. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Notelaers, G., & De Witte, H. 2009. Job insecurity and employability in fixed-term contractors, agency workers, and permanent workers: Associations with job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14: 193–205. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Raeder, S., Van der Heijden, B., & Wittekind, A. 2012. The association between workers’ employability and burnout in a reorganization context: Longitudinal evidence building upon the conservation of resources theory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17: 162–174. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Sulea, C., Philippaers, K., Fischmann, G., Iliescu, D., & De Witte, H. 2014. Perceived employability and performance: Moderation by felt job insecurity. Personnel Review, 43: 536–552. Google Scholar
De Cuyper, N., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & De Witte, H. 2011. Associations between perceived employability, employee well-being, and its contribution to organizational success: A matter of psychological contracts? International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22: 1486–1503. Google Scholar
DeFillippi, R. J., & Arthur, M. B. 1994. The boundaryless career: A competency-based perspective. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15: 307–324. Google Scholar
Dello Russo, S., Parry, E., Bosak, J., Andresen, M., Apospori, E., Bagdadli, S., Chudzikowski, K., Dickmann, M., Ferencikova, S., Gianecchini, M., Hall, D. T., Kaše, R., Lazarova, M., & Reichel, A. 2020. Still feeling employable with growing age? Exploring the moderating effects of developmental HR practices and country-level unemployment rates in the age–employability relationship. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(9): 1180–1206. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., De Hauw, S., & Van der Heijden, B. 2011. Competency development and career success: The mediating role of employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79: 438–447. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., De Hauw, S., & Willemse, I. 2015. An integrative model for competency development in organizations: The Flemish case. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26: 2543–2568. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., Dewettinck, K., & Buyens, D. 2009. The professional career on the right track: A study on the interaction between career self-management and organizational career management in explaining employee outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18: 55–80. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., & Dries, N. 2013. Applying a talent management lens to career management: The role of human capital composition and continuity. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24: 1816–1831. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., & Soens, N. 2008. Protean attitude and career success: The mediating role of self-management. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73: 449–456. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. 2015. Handbook of research on sustainable careers. Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing. Google Scholar
De Vos, A., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Akkermans, J. 2020. Sustainable careers: Towards a conceptual model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117: 103196. Google Scholar
Dickerson, A., & Green, F. 2012. Fears and realisations of employment insecurity. Labour Economics, 19: 198–210. Google Scholar
Drange, I., Bernstrøm, V. H., & Mamelund, S. E. 2018. Are you moving up or falling short? An inquiry of skills-based variation in self-perceived employability among Norwegian employees. Work, Employment and Society, 32: 387–406. Google Scholar
Espada, M., & Chambel, M. J. 2013. Employability and temporary workers’ affective commitment: The moderating role of voluntariness. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16: E108. Google Scholar
Feintuch, A. 1955. Improving the employability and attitudes of “difficult-to-place” persons. Psychological Monographs, 69: 1–20. Google Scholar
Fleischmann, M., & Koster, F. 2018. Older workers and employer-provided training in the Netherlands: A vignette study. Ageing and Society, 38: 1995–2018. Google Scholar
Fleischmann, M., Koster, F., & Schippers, J. 2015. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! How and under which conditions employers provide employability-enhancing practices to their older workers. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26: 2908–2925. Google Scholar
Forrier, A., De Cuyper, N., & Akkermans, J. 2018. The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall: Provoking the agency perspective in employability research. Human Resource Management Journal, 28: 511–523. Google Scholar
Forrier, A., & Sels, L. 2003a. The concept employability: A complex mosaic. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 3: 102–124. Google Scholar
Forrier, A., & Sels, L. 2003b. Temporary employment and employability: Training opportunities and efforts of temporary and permanent employees in Belgium. Work, Employment and Society, 17: 641–666. Google Scholar
Forrier, A., Sels, L., & Stynen, D. 2009. Career mobility at the intersection between agent and structure: A conceptual model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82: 739–759. Google Scholar
Forrier, A., Verbruggen, M., & De Cuyper, N. 2015. Integrating different notions of employability in a dynamic chain: The relationship between job transitions, movement capital and perceived employability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89: 56–64. Google Scholar
Forsyth, G. R., & Mininger, J. R. 1966. Expanding employability in Ontario. Ontario, Canada: Economic Council. Google Scholar
Froehlich, D. E., Beausaert, S., Segers, M., & Gerken, M. 2014. Learning to stay employable. Career Development International, 19: 508–525. Google Scholar
Fugate, M. 2006. Employability in the new millennium. In J. H. GreenhausG. A. Callanan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of career development. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar
Fugate, M., & Kinicki, A. J. 2008. A dispositional approach to employability: Development of a measure and test of implications for employee reactions to organizational change. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 81: 503–527. Google Scholar
Fugate, M., Kinicki, A. J., & Ashforth, B. E. 2004. Employability: A psycho-social construct, its dimensions, and applications. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65: 14–38. Google Scholar
Giorgi, G., Shoss, M. K., & Leon-Perez, J. M. 2015. Going beyond workplace stressors: Economic crisis and perceived employability in relation to psychological distress and job dissatisfaction. International Journal of Stress Management, 22: 137–158. Google Scholar
Goldman, B., Cooper, D., & Kugler, T. 2019. Crime and punishment: A realistic group conflict approach to racial discrimination in hiring convicted felons. International Journal of Conflict Management, 30: 2–23. Google Scholar
Gore, T. 2005. Extending employability or solving employers’ recruitment problems? Demand-led approaches as an instrument of labour market policy. Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland), 42: 341–353. Google Scholar
Gottfredson, L. S. 1981. Circumscription and compromise: A developmental theory of occupational aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28: 545–579. Google Scholar
Gracia, F. J., Ramos, J., Peiró, J. M., Caballer, A., & Sora, B. 2011. Job attitudes, behaviours and well‐being among different types of temporary workers in Europe and Israel. International Labour Review, 150: 235–254. Google Scholar
Green, F. 2011. Unpacking the misery multiplier: How employability modifies the impacts of unemployment and job insecurity on life satisfaction and mental health. Journal of Health Economics, 30: 265–276. Google Scholar
Groot, W., & Maasen van den Brink, H. 2000. Education, training and employability. Applied Economics, 32: 573–581. Google Scholar
Groves, C. J., Orbaek White, G. D., Panya, F., & Stewart, J. 2018. Can business schools increase student employability by embedding action learning into undergraduate management education? An account of practice. Action Learning Research and Practice, 15: 258–266. Google Scholar
Guest, D. E. 2017. Human resource management and employee well-being: Towards a new analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27: 22–38. Google Scholar
Guilbert, L., Carrein, C., Guénolé, N., Monfray, L., Rossier, J., & Priolo, D. 2018. Relationship between perceived organizational support, proactive personality, and perceived employability in workers over 50. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55: 58–71. Google Scholar
Gunz, H., Evans, M., & Jalland, M. 2000. Career boundaries in a “boundaryless world.” In M. A. PeiperlM. B. ArthurR. GoffeeT. Morris (Eds.), Career frontiers: New conceptions of working lives: 24–53. Oxford, U.K.: University Press. Google Scholar
Hahn, H.-J., & Kim, S. 2018. An empirical study on the relationship between perceived employability and employee performance. Human Resource Development International, 21: 74–90. Google Scholar
Hakansson, K., & Isidorsson, T. 2015. Temporary agency workers-precarious workers? Perceived job security and employability for temporary agency workers and client organization employees at a Swedish manufacturing plant. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 5: 3–22. Google Scholar
Hakim, C. 1990. Core and periphery in employer’s workforce strategies: Evidence from the 1987 S.L.U.S. Survey. Work, Employment and Society, 4: 157–188. Google Scholar
Hall, D. T. 1976. Careers in organizations. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman. Google Scholar
Hall, D. T. 1996. Protean careers of the 21^st century. Academy of Management Executive, 10: 8–16.Abstract , Google Scholar
Hall, D. T. 2004. The Protean career: A quarter-century journey. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65: 1–13. Google Scholar
Hall, D. T., & Moss, J. E. 1998. The new protean career contract: Helping organizations and employees adapt. Organizational Dynamics, 26: 22–37. Google Scholar
Hasluck, C. 2001. Lessons from the New Deal: Finding work, promoting employability. New Economy, 8: 230–234. Google Scholar
Hennekam, S. 2016. Employability and performance: A comparison of baby boomers and veterans in The Netherlands. Employee Relations, 38: 927–945. Google Scholar
Herriott, P. 1992. The career management challenge. London, U.K.: Sage. Google Scholar
Herriott, P. 1995. The management of careers. In S. Tyson (Ed.), Strategic prospects for HRM: 184–205. London, U.K.: IPD House. Google Scholar
Hiltrop, J. M. 1995. The changing psychological contract: The human resource challenge of the 1990s. European Management Journal, 13: 286–294. Google Scholar
Horney, N., Pasmore, B., & O’Shea, T. 2010. Leadership agility: A business imperative for a VUCA world. People and Strategy, 33(4): 33–38. Google Scholar
Iles, P. 1997. Sustainable high‐potential career development: A resource‐based view. Career Development International, 2: 347–353. Google Scholar
Jansson, I., Bjorklund, A., Perseius, K. I., & Gunnarsson, A. B. 2015. The concept of “work ability” from the view point of employers. Work, 52: 153–167. Google Scholar
Kang, S., Morris, S., & Snell, S. 2007. Relational archetypes, organizational learning, and value creation: Extending the human resource architecture. Academy of Management Review, 32: 236–256.Link , Google Scholar
Kirves, K., Kinnunen, U., De Cuyper, N., & Makikangas, A. 2014. Trajectories of Perceived Employability and Their Associations With Well-Being at Work A Three-Wave Study. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 13: 46–57. Google Scholar
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. 2004. Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education. New York, NY: Psychology Press. Google Scholar
Lepak, D. P., & Snell, S. A. 1999. The human resource architecture: Toward a theory of human capital allocation and development. Academy of Management Review, 24: 31–48.Link , Google Scholar
Lepak, D. P., & Snell, S. A. 2002. Examining the human resource architecture: The relationships among human capital, employment, and human resource configurations. Journal of Management, 28: 517–543. Google Scholar
Lepisto, D. A., & Pratt, M. G. 2017. Meaningful work as realization and justification: Toward a dual conceptualization. Organizational Psychology Review, 7: 99–121. Google Scholar
Lindsay, C., Canduela, J., & Raeside, R. 2013. Polarization in access to work-related training in Great Britain. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 34: 205–225. Google Scholar
Liu, W. 2018. High-involvement human resource practices, employee learning and employability. Career Development International, 23: 312–326. Google Scholar
Loretto, W., & White, P. 2006. Population ageing and older workers: Employers’ perceptions, attitudes and policies. Population Space and Place, 12: 341–352. Google Scholar
Lu, L. 2011. Effects of demographic variables, perceived spousal support, and gender role attitudes on Taiwanese women’s employability. Journal of Career Development, 38: 191–207. Google Scholar
Magnum, G. L. 1976. Employability, employment, and income. Salt Lake City, UT: Olympus. Google Scholar
Martin, G., Dymock, D., Billett, S., & Johnson, G. 2014. In the name of meritocracy: Managers’ perceptions of policies and practices for training older workers. Ageing and Society, 34: 992–1018. Google Scholar
McArdle, S., Waters, L., Briscoe, J. P., & Hall, D. T. T. 2007. Employability during unemployment: Adaptability, career identity and human and social capital. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71: 247–264. Google Scholar
McQuaid, R. W., & Bergmann, A. 2016. Employment changes in the sustainable energy sector in Scotland. World Journal of Science Technology and Sustainable Development, 13: 2–17. Google Scholar
McQuaid, R. W., & Lindsay, C. 2005. The concept of employability. Urban Studies, 42: 197–219. Google Scholar
Miles, R. H., & Snow, C. C. 1984. Fit, failure, and the hall of fame. California Management Review, 26(3): 10–28. Google Scholar
Mirvis, P. H., & Hall, D. T. 1994. Psychological success and the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15: 365–380. Google Scholar
Mitchell, M., Cropanzano, R., & Quisenberry, D. 2012. Social exchange theory, exchange resources, and interpersonal relationships: A modest resolution of theoretical difficulties. In K. TörnblomA. Kazemi (Eds.), Handbook of social resource theory: Theoretical extensions, empirical insights, and social applications, critical issues in social justice: 99–118. New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar
Murphy, B. 1985. Changes in the workplace: Preparing workers for continuing employability. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 1: 19–25. Google Scholar
Nauta, A., Van Vianen, A., Van der Heijden, B., Van Dam, K., & Willemsen, M. 2009. Understanding the factors that promote employability orientation: The impact of employability culture, career satisfaction, and role breadth self-efficacy. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82: 233–251. Google Scholar
Nelissen, J., Forrier, A., & Verbruggen, M. 2017. Employee development and voluntary turnover: Testing the employability paradox. Human Resource Management Journal, 27: 152–168. Google Scholar
Nilsson, S., & Ellström, P. E. 2012. Employability and talent management: Challenges for HRD practices. European Journal of Training and Development, 36: 26–45. Google Scholar
Nyberg, A. J., & Wright, P. M. 2015. 50 Years of human capital research: Assessing what we know, exploring where we go. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29: 287–295.Link , Google Scholar
Oostrom, J. K., Pennings, M., & Bal, P. M. 2016. How do idiosyncratic deals contribute to the employability of older workers? Career Development International, 21: 176–192. Google Scholar
Orr, D. B. (Ed.). 1973. New directions in employability. New York, NY: Praeger. Google Scholar
Philippaers, K., De Cuyper, N., & Forrier, A. 2017. Employable, committed, and thus well-performing: A matter of interdependent forward-looking social exchange. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26: 755–767. Google Scholar
Picchio, M., & van Ours, J. C. 2013. Retaining through training even for older workers. Economics of Education Review, 32: 29–48. Google Scholar
Platt, S. 1986. Manpower planning—What trade unions can do. International Journal of Manpower, 7: 3–9. Google Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. 2012. Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63: 539–569. Google Scholar
Pollert, A. 1988. Dismantling flexibility. Capital and Class, 34: 42–75. Google Scholar
Procter, S. J., Rowlinson, M., McArdle, L., Hassard, J., & Forrester, P. 1994. Flexibility, politics & strategy: In defence of the model of the flexible firm. Work, Employment and Society, 8: 221–242. Google Scholar
Qiao, H. S., Xia, Y., & Li, Y. 2016. Perceived employability moderates burnout and depression among bank employees. Social Behavior and Personality, 44: 1123–1132. Google Scholar
Rossier, J., Ginevra, M. C., Bollmann, G., & Nota, L. 2017. The importance of career adaptability, career resilience, and employability in designing a successful life. In K. Maree (Ed.), Psychology of career adaptability, employability and resilience. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Google Scholar
Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. 2007. Self-perceived employability: Development and validation of a scale. Personnel Review, 36: 23–41. Google Scholar
Rousseau, D. M. 1995. Psychological contracts in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar
Sanders, J., & De Grip, A. 2004. Training, task flexibility and the employability of low-skilled workers. International Journal of Manpower, 25: 73–89. Google Scholar
Savickas, M. L., Nota, L., Rossier, J., Dauwalder, J., Duarte, M. E., Guichard, J., Salvatore, S., Van Esbroeck, R., & Van Vianen, A. E. M. 2009. Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the 21st century. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75: 239–250. Google Scholar
Schneider, B. 1987. The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40: 437–453. Google Scholar
Scholarios, D., Scholarios, D., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., Van der Schoot, E., Bozionelos, N., Epitropaki, O., Jêdrzejowicz, P., Knauth, P., Marzec, I., Mikkelsen, A., Van der Heijde, C. M., & the Indic@tor Study Group. 2008. Employability and the psychological contract in European ICT sector SMEs. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(6): 1035–1055. Google Scholar
Seršić, D. M., & Tomas, J. 2014. The role of dispositional employability in determining individual differences in career success. Drustvena Istrazivanja, 23: 593–613. Google Scholar
Silla, I., De Cuyper, N., Gracia, F. J., Peiro, J. M., & De Witte, H. 2009. Job insecurity and well-being: Moderation by employability. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10: 739–751. Google Scholar
Silla, I., Gracia, F. J., & Peiró, J. M. 2005. Job insecurity and health-related outcomes among different types of temporary workers. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 26: 89–117. Google Scholar
Smith, V. 2010. Review article: Enhancing employability: Human, cultural, and social capital in an era of turbulent unpredictability. Human Relations, 63: 279–303. Google Scholar
Solberg, E., & Dysvik, A. 2016. Employees’ perceptions of HR investment and their efforts to remain internally employable: Testing the exchange-based mechanisms of the “new psychological contract.” International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27: 909–927. Google Scholar
Stengård, J., Bernhard-Oettel, C., Berntson, E., Leineweber, C., & Aronsson, G. 2016. Stuck in a job: Being “locked-in” or at risk of becoming locked-in at the workplace and well-being over time. Work and Stress, 30: 152–172. Google Scholar
Stoffers, J. M. M., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. 2018. An innovative work behavior-enhancing employability model moderated by age. European Journal of Training and Development, 42: 143–163. Google Scholar
Sullivan, S. E., & Al Ariss, A. 2019. Employment after retirement: A review and framework for future research. Journal of Management, 45: 262–284. Google Scholar
Tekleab, A. G., & Taylor, M. S. 2003. Aren’t there two parties in an employment relationship? Antecedents and consequences of organization–employee agreement on contract obligations and violations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24: 585–608. Google Scholar
Thijssen, J. G., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Rocco, T. S. 2008. Toward the employability-link model: Current employment transition to future employment perspectives. Human Resource Development Review, 7: 165–183. Google Scholar
Tran, L. H. N. 2017. Developing employability skills via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities: Student engagement and inhibitors of their engagement. Journal of Education and Work, 30: 854–867. Google Scholar
Trank, C. Q., Rynes, S. L., & Bretz, R. D. 2002. Attracting applicants in the war for talent: Differences in work preferences among high achievers. Journal of Business and Psychology, 16: 331–345. Google Scholar
Tsui, A., Pearce, J. L., Porter, L. W., & Tripoli, A. M. 1997. Alternative approaches to the employee-organization relationship: Does investment in employees pay off? Academy of Management Journal, 40: 1089–1121.Link , Google Scholar
Van der Heijde, C. M., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. 2006. A competence-based and multidimensional operationalization and measurement of employability. Human Resource Management, 45: 449–476. Google Scholar
Vance, C. M., & Vaiman, V. 2008. Smart talent management: On the powerful amalgamation of talent management and knowledge management. In V. VaimanC. M. Vance (Eds.), Smart talent management: Building knowledge assets for competitive advantage: 1–18. Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing. Google Scholar
Van der Heijde, C. M., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. 2014. Employability and social innovation: The importance of and interplay between transformational leadership and personality. In T. BondaroukM. R. Olivas-Lujan (Eds.), Human resource management, social innovation and technology: 55–72. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Google Scholar
Van der Heijde, C. M., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., Scholarios, D., Bozionelos, N., Mikkelsen, A., Epitropaki, O., Indic@tor Study Group. 2018. Learning climate perceptions as a determinant of employability: An empirical study among European ICT professionals. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B., Boon, J., van der Klink, M., & Meijs, E. 2009. Employability enhancement through formal and informal learning: An empirical study among Dutch non-academic university staff members. International Journal of Training and Development, 13: 19–37. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B., Scholarios, D., Van der Schoot, E., Jedrzejowicz, P., Bozionelos, N., Epitropaki, O., Knauth, P., Marzec, I., Mikkelsen, A., Van der Heijde, C. M., & the Indic@tor Study Group. 2010. Supervisor–subordinate age dissimilarity and performance ratings the buffering effects of supervisory relationship and practice. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 71(3): 231–258. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Bakker, A. B. 2011. Toward a mediation model of employability enhancement: A study of employee-supervisor pairs in the building sector. Career Development Quarterly, 59: 232–248. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., De Lange, A. H., Demerouti, E., & Van der Heijde, C. M. 2009. Employability and career success across the life-span. Age effects on the employability-career success relationship. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74: 156–164. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., Gorgievski, M. J., & De Lange, A. H. 2016. Learning at the workplace and sustainable employability: a multi-source model moderated by age. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25(1): 13–30. Google Scholar
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., Notelaers, G., Peters, P., Stoffers, J. J. M., De Lange, A. H., Froehlich, A. H., & Van der Heijde, C. M. 2018. Development and validation of the short-form employability five-factor instrument. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 106: 236–248. Google Scholar
Van Loo, J., De Grip, A., & De Steur, M. 2001. Skills obsolescence: Causes and cures. International Journal of Manpower, 22: 121–138. Google Scholar
Van Selm, M., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. 2013. Communicating employability enhancement throughout the life-span: A national intervention program aimed at combating age-related stereotypes at the workplace. Educational Gerontology, 39(4): 259–272. Google Scholar
Veld, M., Semeijn, J., & Van Vuuren, T. 2015. Enhancing perceived employability: An interactionist perspective on responsibilities of organizations and employees. Personnel Review, 44: 866–882. Google Scholar
Verbruggen, M., & De Vos, A. 2020. When people don’t realize their career desires: toward a theory of career inaction. Academy of Management Review, 45(2): 376–394.Link , Google Scholar
Vodopivec, M. 2002. Worker reallocation during Estonia’s transition to market. International Journal of Manpower, 23: 77–97. Google Scholar
Wadsworth, W., Scott, R., & Wells, B. 1961. Employability of long-stay schizophrenic patients. Lancet, 278: 593–595. Google Scholar
Weeks, P., & Schaffert, C. 2019. Generational differences in definitions of meaningful work: A mixed methods study. Journal of Business Ethics, 156: 1045–1061. Google Scholar
Wilthagen, T., & Tros, F. 2004. The concept of “flexcurity”: A new approach to regulating employment and labor markets. European Review of Labor and Research, 10: 166–186. Google Scholar
Wittekind, A., Raeder, S., & Grote, G. 2010. A longitudinal study of determinants of perceived employability. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31: 566–586. Google Scholar
Wo, M. C. M., Lim, K. S., Choo, W. Y., & Tan, C. T. 2015. Employability in people with epilepsy: A systematic review. Epilepsy Research, 116: 67–78. Google Scholar
Xie, Y. Z., Baranchenko, Y., Lin, Z. B., Lau, C. K., & Ma, J. 2019. The influences of transformational leadership on employee employability Evidence from China. Employee Relations, 41: 101–118. Google Scholar

Vol. 15, No. 1

Permissions

Metrics

in the past 12 months

History

Published online 2 February 2021

Published in print 1 January 2021

Information

Acknowledgments

The authors are extremely grateful for the truly skillful guidance of Associate Editor Matt Cronin. His time and insights were indispensable, and he epitomized what it means to be a developmental partner in the process. Our paper is far better because of Matt. Thank you! Ans De Vos’s contribution was supported by the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek—Vlaanderen (FWO) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) under EOS Project No. 30987235.

Download PDF