Effect of construal level and job insecurity on responses to perceived external employability

We examined how construal level and job insecurity affect employees’ responses to perceived external employability (PEE). Participants were 494 employees from enterprises in China. Multigroup analysis results showed that construal level moderated the effect of PEE on quantitative job insecurity and work engagement. Specifically, participants with concrete (low-level) construals experienced less quantitative job insecurity and displayed higher work engagement when they had higher PEE. In contrast, participants with abstract (high-level) construals reported the same amount of quantitative job insecurity and work engagement regardless of their PEE level. In addition, qualitative job insecurity mediated the relationship between PEE and work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.