Workforce ageing and the need to work longer implies several challenges worldwide. Due to the potential for career prolongation, one such implication is to understand how age and perceived employability buffers relationship effects between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the moderating roles of perceived employability and age on the relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Hypotheses were tested using a three-way interaction model based on a cross-sectional design with a representative sample of 1,116 Chilean workers. Results show that age plays an important role in employees with high perceived employability; however, it has no effect on employees with low perceived employability. Younger workers with high perceived employability suffer less than do older employees with high perceived employability in terms of intrinsic job satisfaction. From a theoretical point of view, perceived employability in older workers does not reduce the unfavorable consequences of job insecurity. Regarding practical implications, organizations should manage and develop older workers by focusing on intrinsic aspects of their careers and on retirement preparation, as this will improve control and other positive resources in this population.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of work design characteristics (task, knowledge, social, and contextual characteristics) in the relationship between professional self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Research has shown how motivational job design has positive consequences for individuals, increasing control and perception of internal forces (such as self-efficacy) and affects positively job satisfaction. However, little is known about how self-efficacy affects job satisfaction through job enrichment. In this study, 353 Chilean workers answered a self-reported survey. Regression analyses confirmed partially the hypotheses, showing a complete mediation of task and social characteristics of work design in the relationship between professional self-efficacy and job satisfaction. These results show how professional self-efficacy relates to work design and highlight the importance of social and task characteristics to improve job satisfaction, contributing to a better understanding of how self-efficacy improves job satisfaction through work design. Autoeficacia profesional y satisfacción laboral: el rol mediador del diseño del trabajo R E S U M E N Un importante volumen de investigación ha mostrado cómo las características motivacionales del diseño del trabajo tienen consecuencias positivas para las personas, al aumentar la percepción de control y creencias como la autoeficacia, afectando positivamente a la satisfacción laboral. Sin embargo, se tiene poca información respecto a cómo puede la autoeficacia, a través del trabajo enriquecido, afectar la satisfacción laboral. Tomando esto en cuenta, el propósito de este estudio fue investigar el rol mediador de las características del diseño del trabajo (características de tarea, conocimiento, sociales y físicas) en la relación entre autoeficacia profesional y satisfacción laboral. Participaron 353 trabajadores chilenos voluntarios, quienes respondieron una encuesta de autoinforme. Los análisis de regresión lineal permitieron sostener parcialmente las hipótesis de investigación. Se observó una mediación total de las características de tarea y conocimiento en la relación entre autoeficacia profesional y satisfacción laboral. Se advierte que la autoeficacia se relaciona con el diseño del trabajo y que las dimensiones social y de tarea del diseño del trabajo pueden incidir en la satisfacción laboral. A partir de esto se puede avanzar en la comprensión de cómo la autoeficacia aumenta la satisfacción laboral a través del diseño del puesto.

PurposeCareer success has been understood as an outcome of career goals, achievement and employability resources. Recent research has enlightened its potential effect on career decisions and perceived employability. This paper aims to test the role of career success in the relationship between competence employability and perceived employability.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was answered by 1,087 graduates from a large nonselective higher education institution that enrolls a significant number of first generation and lower socioeconomic background students. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the mediating role of career success, as was proposed.FindingsSubjective career success partially mediates the relationship between competence employability model and perceived employability. However, objective career success was not related to perceived employability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study made use of a cross-sectional design, which hinders the identification of causal direction.Practical implicationsFor training and education, both employability competences and subjective career success are resources to enhance in order to promote employee's personal beliefs about obtaining and maintaining employment.Originality/valueThis study combines different employability approaches, and their relationship with career success, considering subjective and objective career success as relevant personal resources that could impact self-perceptions and foster career behaviors. Testing the utility of these theoretical models on a group that has been underrepresented in career development studies is also relevant, particularly, the use of gain spiral concept from Conservation of Resources theory.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the antecedents of the quality of graduates’ jobs when they enter the job market after university graduation. Design/methodology/approach Survey data collected from 173 Spanish bachelor and master’s degree university graduates at two time points (two months before and six months after graduation, approximately) were analyzed by means of path analysis. Findings A moderated mediation model was tested, where the relationship between the horizontal fit (HF) between the university degree subject and the student’s job and the quality of the graduate’s job after graduation is mediated by self-perceived employability and moderated by the time devoted to a student job. Results showed that the relationship between HF and job quality was partially mediated by self-perceived employability. However, contrary to the proposed hypothesis, this relationship did not depend on the time devoted to a student job. Originality/value This study contributes to improving the understanding about how and why university students’ work experience is related to the quality of their jobs as fresh graduates.