Abstract This study examined whether distinct employability profiles could be identified among a sample of older jobseekers (45 years and over) and how these profiles are associated with various job‐search strategies (i.e., intensive, haphazard, exploratory and focused) and job outcomes (i.e., being employed and number of job interviews) within a time‐lagged design. Using latent profile analysis on a sample of 1026 older jobseekers, three distinct profiles were identified at Time 1 (e.g., typical , well‐equipped and at risk ), differing in levels of perceived employability and employability‐related competencies. The profiles were further associated differentially with job‐search strategies, including job‐search intensity as well as focused, exploratory and haphazard search behaviours. At Time 2, the profile well‐equipped showed the highest likelihood to be employed despite reporting fewer job interviews, whereas the at‐risk profile displayed both less adaptive job‐search strategies (exploratory and focused) and the lowest re‐employment prospects. In addition, perceived health and unemployment duration emerged as significant antecedents of profile membership. Taken together, these results highlight the added value of a person‐centred approach for capturing heterogeneity in employability and job‐search processes among older jobseekers and for better understanding the conditions under which employability translates into successful re‐employment.
Bazine et al. (Fri,) studied this question.