TY - JOUR

T1 - The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall

T2 - Provoking the agency perspective in employability research

AU - Forrier, Anneleen

AU - De Cuyper, Nele

AU - Akkermans, J.

PY - 2018/11

Y1 - 2018/11

N2 - In this paper, we provoke the strong focus on personal agency in employability research. We counter three dominant assumptions in the literature, namely, (a) that employability is an individual asset, (b) that employability is owned by the individual, and (c) that employability leads to positive outcomes. A key observation is that the three dominant theories that are being used in employability studies, namely, human capital theory, conservation of resources theory, and social exchange theory, also question these core agency assumptions that form the basis of those studies. Based on these theories, we identify three blind spots in employability research: Employability is (a) contextual, (b) relational, and (3) polarising. Taken together, we make the case that the agency perspective overlooks a potential dark side of employability: The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall. We outline a future research agenda on this potential dark side of employability.

AB - In this paper, we provoke the strong focus on personal agency in employability research. We counter three dominant assumptions in the literature, namely, (a) that employability is an individual asset, (b) that employability is owned by the individual, and (c) that employability leads to positive outcomes. A key observation is that the three dominant theories that are being used in employability studies, namely, human capital theory, conservation of resources theory, and social exchange theory, also question these core agency assumptions that form the basis of those studies. Based on these theories, we identify three blind spots in employability research: Employability is (a) contextual, (b) relational, and (3) polarising. Taken together, we make the case that the agency perspective overlooks a potential dark side of employability: The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall. We outline a future research agenda on this potential dark side of employability.

KW - agency

KW - conservation of resources theory

KW - employability

KW - human capital theory

KW - social exchange theory

KW - structure

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053517393&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85053517393&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/1748-8583.12206

DO - 10.1111/1748-8583.12206

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85053517393

VL - 28

SP - 511

EP - 523

JO - Human Resource Management Journal

JF - Human Resource Management Journal

SN - 1748-8583

IS - 4

ER -