Employees' job demands-resources profiles, burnout and work engagement: A person-centred examination

The present study aimed to add to the extensive variable-centred literature on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model by validating the model using a person-centred approach. A two-step cluster analysis in a sample of Flemish community employees (N = 307) showed that job demands and job resources co-occur in four job profiles: demanding (high demands, low resources), resourceful (low demands, high resources), poor (low demands and low resources) and rich (high demands and high resources) jobs. In line with the JD-R model, employees in demanding jobs evidenced the poorest well-being (high burnout and low work engagement). Resourceful as well as rich jobs were the most optimal job profiles: employees with such profiles reported the least burnout and the most work engagement. The discussion centres on the theoretical lessons learned from the differences among the job profiles, the practical importance of cluster analysis as a diagnostic tool and the presence of job resources.