"Employability-Miles" and Worker Employability Awareness

Ruud Gerards, Andries de Grip and Maaike Witlox ()
Additional contact information
Maaike Witlox: Maastricht University

No 6818, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This article studies the use and impact of a firm-sponsored training ("Employability-miles") voucher scheme that aims to stimulate employees to develop a more active attitude toward their own employability. Using data from two surveys of the firm's workforce, we find that voucher use is related to various personality traits and personal characteristics. In particular, a worker's ambition, goal setting, and education level are positively related to voucher use. In addition, women and those with longer tenure spend their vouchers more often. Conversely, workers with a more positive self-image as well as those who are negatively reciprocal spend their vouchers less often. The negative relation between voucher use and negative reciprocity suggests that workers who are more negatively reciprocal perceive the voucher as an HR tool for outplacement. Further, we find that voucher use positively affects worker employability awareness and willingness to train. Remarkably, participation in non-voucher training shows little relation to personality traits. From a human resources perspective, this finding suggests that by employing a voucher scheme, the firm makes training participation more dependent on employee personality and individual characteristics instead of the human resources development strategy of the firm.

Keywords: human resource development; training; human capital; employability; voucher (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 M53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2012-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hrm, nep-lab and nep-lma
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Published - published in: Applied Economics, 2014, 46, 952-965

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Related works:
Journal Article: 'Employability-miles' and worker employability awareness (2014)
Working Paper: "Employability-miles" and worker employability awareness (2012)
Working Paper: "Employability-miles" and worker employability awareness (2012)
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