Temporal and person-oriented perspectives on job insecurity

Job insecurity, the subjectively perceived risk of involuntary job loss, has been widely researched as a stressor and linked to negative individual, organizational and extra-organizational outcomes. After providing a brief state-of-the-art review of research on the antecedents and consequences of job insecurity, as well as theoretical frameworks to explain mechanisms underlying the relationship between job insecurity and outcomes, this chapter introduces a dynamic perspective on job insecurity. First, we scrutinize existing theory and research concerning temporal dynamics between job insecurity and outcomes when discussing mechanisms of recovery, adaptation and deterioration. Second, we review an emerging literature of person-oriented research on job insecurity, which investigates patterns of job insecurity with other stressors and resources, as well as patterns of change in job insecurity and its consequences over time. We conclude with a research agenda to advance the field towards a dynamic perspective on job insecurity.