JOB DEPENDENCE AS A MODERATOR OF EFFECTS OF JOB THREAT ON EMPLOYEES JOB INSECURITY AND PERFORMANCE

The effects of job dependence on the relationships between objective job threat and, respectively, employees' job insecurity and performance were examined among 135 employees of a small Australian manufacturer. Objective job threat was given by the combined ratings of three managers of the likelihood of each of the jobs disappearing over the next few years. Moderated multiple regression analysis showed that job dependence interacted with job threat in predicting differences in insecurity, but not in performance. Subjects dependent on their jobs felt more insecure than those who were more independent, as predicted.