Consequences of job insecurity for hospitality workers amid COVID-19 pandemic: does social support help?

Using a time-lagged field survey, the current study examined the psycho-economic effects of job insecurity among hospitality workers during the recent pandemic of COVID-19. The study also examined social support as a buffering agent against the harmful effects of job insecurity. Data were collected from employees (N = 272) working in numerous hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies across Pakistan. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the study's hypotheses. The results suggested that job insecurity was negatively related to self-esteem and positively related to economic deprivation. In addition, social support significantly moderated the effects of job insecurity on mental health, self-esteem, economic self-efficacy and life satisfaction such that the negative effects of job insecurity were stronger when social support was low. The results for economic deprivation, however, were contrary to the expectations, whereby job insecurity had a strong positive effect on economic deprivation in case of high social support.

Automated summary

The study found that job insecurity had negative effects on employees' self-esteem and positive effects on economic deprivation. Additionally, social support was found to moderate the negative effects of job insecurity on mental health, self-esteem, economic self-efficacy, and life satisfaction, with stronger negative effects when social support was low. However, the results regarding economic deprivation were contrary to expectations, with job insecurity having a strong positive effect on economic deprivation in cases of high social support.