Labor market segmentation and the protean career: the effects on labor market experience

In the recent decennia the labor markets in the Western economies have been undergoing a fundamental change, a change that has also found a reflection in the structure of the contemporary careers. These transformations have been attributed to several conjunct factors, such as the flattening of organizational structures, economic globalization, advances in technology and communication, influx of women on the labor market and growth of the tertiary sector of the economy (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996; Baruch & Bozionelos, 2010; Fuller, 2008).

Our study makes several contributions both to the theoretical development in career literature and to the domain of public policy. First, it establishes and explains the relationship between career mobility and overall career experience, which has implications in the context of the increasingly mobilizing labor markets. Second, it examines the effects of the protean career orientation, which have been shown to lead to positive career outcomes and thus counter the negative effects of increased mobility. While the value of the self-directedness dimension has been ascertained in this regard, the impact of value-drivenness has been much less documented. Finally, it contributes to the understanding of the interaction effects between career mobility, protean career orientation and labor market segmentation, which has implications for policy measures in regard to vulnerable groups.