ABSTRACT

Workstressorsofpotentialinteresttobothresearchersandjobincumbents varywithchangingcircumstancesovertime(Burke,1988).Fourstructural careercriseshavebeguntoreceiveincreasedresearchattentionduringthe pastfewyears:mergersandacquisitions;retrenchmentsandbudgetcutbacks; jobfutureambiguity;andoccupational'locking-in',inwhichindividualshave almostnoopportunitytomodifytheirjoborchangetoanother.Together, thesedevelopmentsarechangingcareerstructuresthroughoutpostindustrializedcountries.Thesefoursourcesofworkstressorssharesome commonfeatures.First,theyallarisefromattemptsbyorganizationsto reconfigurethemselvesasawayofincreasingproductivitywithfewer resourcesinthefaceofadverseeconomicconditions.Second,beingfairly recentareasofresearch,relativelylittleempiricalworkhasbeencompleted. Third,theseareashavevastimplicationsforbothpsychologicalpracticeand interventionatbothindividualandorganizationallevels.Thesefeatures suggestthatstructuralcareercrisesprovideanimportantperspectiveonthe relationshipofpeoplewiththeirwork.