Decoding job embeddedness: a meta-analysis on consequences and unveiling moderating forces
Decoding job embeddedness: a meta-analysis on consequences and unveiling moderating forces
Purpose: in the evolving digital era, marked by the gig economy and remote work, the dynamics between individuals and their jobs have profound implications for employees' job embeddedness. This study provides an up-to-date and comprehensive meta-analysis of the effects of job embeddedness on work and non-work outcomes, thereby offering strategic insights into talent management during this new era of opportunities and challenges.
Design/methodology/approach: a comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted using a dataset of 272 effect sizes derived from 250 articles (N = 111, 592) to examine the relationships between job embeddedness and its outcomes. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediating mechanisms.
Findings: the results reveal significant effects of job embeddedness on most work and non-work outcomes. Additionally, the study identifies key moderating factors that shape these relationships, highlighting variations based on cultural, demographic, and research design factors. Mediation tests further show that job satisfaction and job stress serve as critical pathways through which on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness influence employee outcomes.
Originality/value: this study advances job embeddedness research by systematically integrating existing findings and resolving inconsistencies through meta-analysis. By differentiating the effects of on-the-job, off-the-job, and occupational embeddedness and uncovering moderating and mediating processes, it offers novel insights into the mechanisms underlying job embeddedness and its impact in the contemporary work landscape.
Consequences, Job embeddedness, Meta-analysis, Moderating variables, National culture
2375-2405
Li, Jing
12d3e307-c01d-4e6a-aaa8-46935bb8d6cb
Wang, Lijun
55ff0417-5993-46ee-8e5f-01a972c72f6a
Zhang, Yucheng
3a7eb0ef-8c03-419f-abdf-4f11f9d097ea
Zhang, Meng
14ae8cb6-e694-403f-87ca-54127bcd1d02
Rodgers, Peter
78e39552-3d65-4b44-b0e1-10043ba3ff5d
12 November 2025
Li, Jing
12d3e307-c01d-4e6a-aaa8-46935bb8d6cb
Wang, Lijun
55ff0417-5993-46ee-8e5f-01a972c72f6a
Zhang, Yucheng
3a7eb0ef-8c03-419f-abdf-4f11f9d097ea
Zhang, Meng
14ae8cb6-e694-403f-87ca-54127bcd1d02
Rodgers, Peter
78e39552-3d65-4b44-b0e1-10043ba3ff5d
Li, Jing, Wang, Lijun, Zhang, Yucheng, Zhang, Meng and Rodgers, Peter
(2025)
Decoding job embeddedness: a meta-analysis on consequences and unveiling moderating forces.
Personnel Review, 54 (9), .
(doi:10.1108/PR-03-2025-0258).
Abstract
Purpose: in the evolving digital era, marked by the gig economy and remote work, the dynamics between individuals and their jobs have profound implications for employees' job embeddedness. This study provides an up-to-date and comprehensive meta-analysis of the effects of job embeddedness on work and non-work outcomes, thereby offering strategic insights into talent management during this new era of opportunities and challenges.
Design/methodology/approach: a comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted using a dataset of 272 effect sizes derived from 250 articles (N = 111, 592) to examine the relationships between job embeddedness and its outcomes. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediating mechanisms.
Findings: the results reveal significant effects of job embeddedness on most work and non-work outcomes. Additionally, the study identifies key moderating factors that shape these relationships, highlighting variations based on cultural, demographic, and research design factors. Mediation tests further show that job satisfaction and job stress serve as critical pathways through which on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness influence employee outcomes.
Originality/value: this study advances job embeddedness research by systematically integrating existing findings and resolving inconsistencies through meta-analysis. By differentiating the effects of on-the-job, off-the-job, and occupational embeddedness and uncovering moderating and mediating processes, it offers novel insights into the mechanisms underlying job embeddedness and its impact in the contemporary work landscape.
Text
Decoding job embeddedness: a meta-analysis on consequences and unveiling moderating forces
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 15 September 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 October 2025
Published date: 12 November 2025
Keywords:
Consequences, Job embeddedness, Meta-analysis, Moderating variables, National culture
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 509090
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/509090
ISSN: 0048-3486
PURE UUID: 453792c4-7668-49bd-ab74-3e00d9b5cb89
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Date deposited: 11 Feb 2026 17:36
Last modified: 12 Feb 2026 03:18
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Contributors
Author:
Jing Li
Author:
Lijun Wang
Author:
Yucheng Zhang
Author:
Meng Zhang
Author:
Peter Rodgers
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