Coping With Employment Uncertainty: A Comparison of Employed and Unemployed Workers Janet Mantler, Amanda Matejicek, Kimberly Matheson, and Hymie Anisman Carleton University This study examined coping with stress associated with employment uncertainty for comparable samples of laid-off and employed high-technology workers. It was expected that different coping strategies would be associated with perceived stress for employed vs. unemployed people. Although unemployed participants reported higher levels of stress compared with employed participants, employment uncertainty mediated the association between employment status and perceived stress. Emotion-focused coping strategies were related to higher perceived stress, whereas problem-focused coping strategies were related to lower perceived stress. The use of emotional avoidance as a strategy moderated the effect of employment uncertainty on perceived stress, such that a greater propensity to endorse avoidance coping strategies was associated with higher levels of stress particularly under low uncertainty conditions. In recent years, many organizations have down- sized and restructured their workforces with the be- lief that such actions would increase organizational effectiveness and the ability to survive difficult eco- nomic times (Morris, Cascio, & Young, 1999). One consequence of downsizing as an organizational sur- vival strategy, however, is that it increases uncer- tainty regarding the future of the jobs of individuals who work for the organization and for people who hope to gain employment in a particular industry (Hartley, Jacobson, Klandermans, & van Vuuren, 1991). Typically, job insecurity is defined as the threat of imminent or potential job loss that may also include threats to valued job features, deterioration of work- ing conditions, or loss of career opportunities (Green- halgh & Rosenblatt, 1984). As such, job insecurity affects employed people who believe their jobs or job functions are at risk because of anticipated but unan- nounced layoffs (Dekker & Schaufeli, 1995; Hell- gren, Sverke, & Isaksson, 1999). By contrast, the concept of employment uncertainty may be more inclusive because it extends beyond threats to current employment to include threats to the possibility of future employment for people seeking jobs in a com- pany, industry, or nation that is experiencing eco- nomic difficulty or high unemployment (Hartley et al., 1991; Mohr, 2000). Accordingly, employment uncertainty can be stressful for both employed people who cannot predict if, or when, they may be laid off (Dunlap, 1994) and unemployed people who cannot foresee if, or when, they will regain employment. Employment uncertainty is a subjective experience reflecting the discrepancy between one’s preferred level of certainty and one’s perceptions regarding current employment opportunities (Dekker & Schaufeli, 1995). People exposed to the same level of risk or unpredictability regarding the future of their employment may have different interpretations of the potential negative consequences (Heaney, Israel, & House, 1994; Sverke, Hellgren, & Na ¨swall, 2002). Depending on their appraisal, they may feel differ- entially able to manage the situation, which may in turn affect their health and well-being. It was the goal of the present investigation to examine the associa- tion of appraisal, coping strategies, and psychological well-being for individuals who were employed or looking for work in an industry during a period of extensive cutbacks and layoffs. Employment Uncertainty and Health Employment uncertainty is associated with an ar- ray of adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Janet Mantler, Amanda Matejicek, Kimberly Matheson, and Hymie Anisman, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Amanda Matejicek is now at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Fifth Interdisciplinary Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in March 2003. We thank Charlene Dodd and Kirsten Watson for their assistance with the data collection. This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Janet Mantler, Department of Psychology, Car- leton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada. E-mail: janet_mantler@carleton.ca Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 2005, Vol. 10, No. 3, 200 –209 Copyright 2005 by the Educational Publishing Foundation 1076-8998/05/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/1076-8998.10.3.200 200