Chronological age and work engagement among Indian employees: a structural equation modeling study

Work engagement is commonly conceptualized as a positive work-related state comprising vigor, dedication, and absorption. Although chronological age is frequently included as a demographic control variable, comparatively few studies have examined its direct association with work engagement in the Indian employment context. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources framework and lifespan-developmental perspectives, this study examined whether chronological age was associated with vigor, dedication, and absorption among employees in India's organized sector. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 2,133 employees working in public-sector, private-sector, and self-employed roles. Participants ranged in age from 20 to 64 years ( M = 41.19, SD = 12.38). Work engagement was assessed using indicators derived from the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and structural equation modeling was used to estimate direct paths from age to the three engagement dimensions. Age showed small negative zero-order correlations with vigor, dedication, and absorption. However, age did not demonstrate statistically significant unique direct associations with the three dimensions in the specified structural model. The three dimensions also showed substantial empirical overlap, and the reliability estimates for dedication and absorption were low; therefore, dimension-specific findings should be interpreted cautiously. The findings indicate that chronological age alone did not show strong direct associations with the highly overlapping engagement dimensions in this cross-sectional convenience sample. They should not be interpreted as evidence that age is irrelevant to work engagement, as age-related associations may be indirect, context-dependent, non-linear, or better explained by factors such as subjective age, tenure, career stage, health, job resources, and job demands.