Qualitative job insecurity and turnover intention: The mediating role of basic psychological needs in public and private sectors

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test two hypotheses. First, an indirect relationship between qualitative job insecurity and turnover intention through basic psychological need satisfaction was investigated. Second, a moderated mediation analysis was conducted to explore potential sectoral differences in this indirect relationship. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional design was used to collect and analyze the data. In total, 358 employees participated in the study (private sector n=178, public sector n=180). The data were collected through an online survey platform. Findings: Qualitative job insecurity was indirectly related to turnover intention through the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. The indirect relationships were more salient in the private sector. Research limitations/implications: Basic psychological needs may explain the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and turnover intention. Furthermore, sector differences may exist in the way job insecurity is responded to. However, a longitudinal study is necessary to confirm the sequential effects. Originality/value: The study provides a constructive replication of the findings on basic psychological need satisfaction as a mediator between job insecurity and employee outcomes. A novel aspect is the authors’ focus on sector differences, which draws attention to contextual factors that may shape the way employees respond to job-insecure situations.