Perceived employability and reemployment : Do job search strategies and psychological distress matter?

Employability perceptions have been suggested to protect well-being in times of job insecurity. Perceived employability (PE) refers to an individual's perception of his/her possibilities of obtaining employment. Some scholars showed that PE is also associated with the length of unemployment. However, it is not clear how employability perceptions can facilitate the reemployment process. Our research aim was to investigate the relationships among PE, job search strategies, psychological distress (PD), and reemployment. The two-wave study (a questionnaire administered during the initial contact with employment agencies and objective data on reemployment after 12 months) involved 136 unemployed people. Results of the structural equation model analysis (partial least-squares path analysis [SEM-PLS]) showed that PE led to focused job search strategy (FJSS) and the focused strategy increased the likelihood of reemployment. The hypothesized negative correlation between PE and PD was not confirmed. Higher levels of distress attributed to job loss were positively associated with a haphazard job search strategy and negatively with a FJSS. The study makes an original contribution to both the research and the practice, highlighting the role of PE as a protective resource for the unemployed. Practitioner points •Perceived employability (PE) can be considered as a personal protective resource during unemployment because can spur the unemployed to adopt a focused job search strategy (FJSS), even if it cannot reduce the job-loss triggered psychological distress (PD). •Evidence that a FJSS facilitates reemployment suggests that behavioural training programmes need to be extended beyond the confines of job search intensity. •Both PE and PD should be considered to understand how unemployed individuals choose job search strategies. •Labour policies should support reemployment programmes that help the unemployed reframe their employability beliefs.