Psychological consequences of fixed-term employment and perceived job insecurity among health care staff

Abstract

The present study sought to clarify the roles of fixed-term employment and perceived job insecurity in relation to an employee's job attitudes (job satisfaction, turnover intentions) and well-being (work engagement, job exhaustion). Specifically, we examined which of the two situations, high subjective job insecurity and a permanent job (i.e., violation hypothesis) or high subjective job insecurity and a fixed-term job (i.e., intensification hypothesis), would lead to the most negative job attitudes and well-being. Data from 736 employees in one Finnish health care district were collected by questionnaires. The results supported the violation hypothesis: Under conditions of high perceived job insecurity permanent employees had lower levels of job satisfaction and work engagement as well as a higher level of job exhaustion than fixed-term employees, whereas under conditions of a low level of perceived job insecurity there were no differences between permanent and fixed-term employees in this respect. Generally, employees with fixed-term contracts had more positive job attitudes and well-being than their permanent counterparts. Thus, permanent employees with perceived job insecurity showed the most negative job attitudes and well-being.