Abstract:
A large amount of research has focused on job insecurity, but without obtaining consistent
results. Some authors have pointed that this variability might be due to the operationalization of
job insecurity. Different types of job insecurity can provoke different employee reactions. The
aim of this study is to analyse the effect of job insecurity, understood as temporary employment
(objective job insecurity) and personal perception (subjective job insecurity), on affective well being. In addition, the moderator roles of job self-efficacy and collective efficacy are examined
in the relationship between job insecurity and employees’ affective well-being. This study was
carried out with 1435 employees from 138 Spanish and Austrian organizations. The results
showed a different effect of job insecurity depending on its conceptualization. Only subjective
job insecurity was negatively related to affective well-being. Moreover, both self- and collective
efficacy moderated the subjective job insecurity–outcomes relation, ameliorating employees’
well-being levels when they perceived job insecurity.
