Job-search preparedness as a mediator of the effects of the Työhön Job Search Intervention on re-employment and mental health

Previous studies that have demonstrated the beneficial effects of the Työhön Job Search Intervention for job seekers on re-employment and mental health have not revealed the specific mediators of these effects. The present study examined two specific mediators that were targeted by the intervention, job-search self-efficacy and inoculation against setbacks, as components of a global construct referred to as job-search preparedness. The hypothesis that job-search preparedness is the main mediator of the effects of the intervention on the outcomes was then tested using data from the 1261 participants of the Finnish Työhön Job Search Intervention study. ANOVA demonstrated that the Työhön intervention produced a significant increase in both job-search self-efficacy and inoculation against setbacks (both p < 0.001). Further structural equation modelling demonstrated that the intervention increased job-search preparedness (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) which had statistically significant mediating effects on increasing re-employment (β = 0.12, 0.10, p < 0.01, 0.05, respectively), and decreasing financial strain and depressive symptoms (β = from -0.09 to -0.14, p < 0.01 to 0.001). Future studies should expand the conceptualization of job-search preparedness with assessment of job-search skills as an additional component.