Examining the relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction: structural equation modeling on white-collar workers

This study aims to examine the effects of job insecurity levels on job satisfaction levels of white-collar employees. Based on the structural functionalism paradigm in sociological theory, this study adopts a quantitative research design to emphasize that job insecurity and job satisfaction are broader social phenomena that extend beyond individual subjective experiences. In this framework, the basic assumption of the study is that social structures have a determining effect on individual experiences. For the purpose of the study, a survey was conducted with a total of 400 white-collar employees employed in the service, industry and construction sectors, all of whom are graduates of higher education. In the questionnaire, a personal information form was used to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the individuals, the Job Insecurity scale, which aims to make parametric estimates of individuals' job insecurity levels, and the Job Satisfaction scale, which aims to determine their job satisfaction levels. In order to determine the effects of job insecurity on job satisfaction, two different Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) models were created and the goodness of fit indices and estimation parameters of the models were evaluated. While the findings obtained from the first research model reveal the negative effect of job insecurity on job satisfaction, the findings obtained from the second research model show that quantitative job insecurity predicts individuals' job satisfaction factors more strongly than qualitative job insecurity.