Employers’ request for employee independence: analysis of vacancies on recruiting sites

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

Effective independent action of a person in various areas of the economy is an important condition for personal success and well-being of the household, and the broader socio-economic environment, when the risk of reduction or deprivation of income becomes the most widespread. The authors investigated the request of Russian employers for independent behavior of employees in the context of categories of personnel, positions and branches of economic activity based on the analysis of job databases. Independence is most appreciated by employers in industries such as retail and information technology. These industries are key in the request for independence, both in the segment of low and high wages. Specific characteristics related to independence and requested in job descriptions are closely related to the position and the amount of the proposed salary. The authors of the article discuss the hypothesis about the heterogeneous structure of the skill of “independence” as an umbrella concept covering various manifestations. In the segment of low wages, the demand for characteristics that imply a conscious action of the employee and the ability to solve current tasks dominates. At the level of high salaries, employers additionally request the need for employees to demonstrate leadership competencies, generate ideas, determination, autonomy, multitasking, strategic planning, organizational management of teams and the launch of new independent projects (corporate entrepreneurship).

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

Ilya A. Korshunov

Institute of Education, HSE University

Author for correspondence.
Email: ikorshunov@hse.ru

Cand. Sci. (Chem.), Leading Researcher, Lifelong learning laboratory

Russian Federation, Moscow

Natalia N. Shirkova

Institute of Education, HSE University

Email: nshirkova@hse.ru

Cand. Sci. (Pedag.), Senior researcher 

Russian Federation, Moscow

Pavel S. Sorokin

Institute of Education, HSE University

Email: psorokin@hse.ru

Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Head of the Laboratory for Human Capital and Education Research

Russian Federation, Moscow

References

  1. Arefin M. S., Alam M. S., Islam M. R., Rahaman M. (2019) High-performance work systems and job engagement: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Cogent Business & Management. Vol. 6: 1–17.
  2. Ashfaq F., Abid G., Ilyas S., Hasnain A. (2021) How transformational leadership influences innovative behavior: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and proactivity of employees. Independent Journal of Management & Production. 12: 241–264.
  3. Deci E. L., Ryan R. M. (2008) Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development and health. Canadian Psychology. 49: 182–185. doi: 10.1037/a0012801.
  4. Fligstein N., Makadam D. (2022) A Theory of Fields. Moscow: VSHE.
  5. Hackman J. R., Oldham G. R. (1976) Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational behavior and human performance. Vol. 16. No. 2: 250–279.
  6. High-tech production in the system of interaction of institutions. (2021) Ed. by G. A. Kliucharev. Moscow: FNITS RAN.
  7. Ilyina O. N., Lepekhin N. N., Manichev S. A. (2022) Proactive work behaviour: a review of the concepts and research directions. Organizacionnaya psihologiya [Organization Psychology]. No. 12(1): 92–127. (In Russ.)
  8. Knight C., McLarnon M.J., Wenzel R., Parker S. K. (2022) The importance of relational work design characteristics: A person-centred approach. Australian Journal of Management. Vol. 47: 705–728.
  9. Koestner R. (2008) Reaching One’s Personal Goals: A Motivational Perspective Focused on Autonomy. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne. Vol. 49: 60–67. doi: 10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.60.
  10. Lamberti G., Aluja Banet T., Rialp Criado J. (2020) Work climate drivers and employee heterogeneity. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 33(1): 472–504. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2020.1711798.
  11. Mandrikova E.Yu. (2010) The theory of self-determination in organizational context: review of foreign studies. Psihologiya. Zhurnal Vysshej shkoly ekonomiki [Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics]. No. 7(4): 126–140. (In Russ.)
  12. Mironenko I. A., Sorokin P. S. (2022) Activity Theory for the De-Structuralized Modernity. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science. No. 56: 1055–1071. doi: 10.1007/s12124-020-09587-4.
  13. Schmid Y., Dowling M. (2020) New work: New motivation? A comprehensive literature review on the impact of workplace technologies. Management Review Quarterly. Vol. 72: 59–86.
  14. Sharafizad J., Redmond J., Morris R. J. (2019) Leadership/management factors impact on employee engagement and discretionary effort. International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior. Vol. 23: 43–64. doi: 10.1108/IJOTB-12-2018-0134.
  15. Sorokin P. S., Froumin I. D. (2020) ”Structure/agency“ problem in the 21st century: changing social reality and research implications. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 7: 27–36. (In Russ.)
  16. Sorokin P. S., Popova T. A. (2022) Human capital qualities in responding to challenges for social policy in the context of de-structuration. Zhurnal issledovanij social’noj politiki [The Journal of Social Policy Studies]. Vol. 20(1): 157–168. (In Russ.)
  17. Starikova M. A., Manichev S. A. (2019) Building a professional career in organizations: The role of employee’s proactivity. Organizacionnaya psihologiya [Organization Psychology]. No. 9(9): 76–98. (In Russ.)
  18. Stepashkina E. A., Sukhodoev A. K., Guzhelya D.Yu. (2022) Research of the profile of supra-professional competencies demanded by employers when recruiting students and graduates, young professionals. Moscow: VSHE.
  19. Suloeva S.B., Abushova E. E., Burova E. V. (2020) Analysis of problems and trends of the industrial sector innovative development of the Russian economy. Organizator proizvodstva [Production Organizer]. Vol. 28(2): 18–30 (In Russ.)
  20. Temnitskiy A. L. (2019) The sociocultural phenomenon of self-dependence in russian citizens’ work in an international comparison. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 6: 37–49. (In Russ.)
  21. Yaakobi E., Weisberg J. (2020) Organizational Citizenship Behavior Predicts Quality, Creativity, and Efficiency Performance: The Roles of Occupational and Collective Efficacies. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol. 11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00758.
  22. Yagil D., Oren R. (2021) Servant Leadership, Engagement, and Employee Outcomes: The Moderating Roles of Proactivity and Job Autonomy. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. Vol. 37: 58–67. doi: 10.5093/jwop2021a1.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. Request for the skill "independence" and skills related to independence in the job vacancy database, % of the total number of vacancies in Russia

Download (141KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. The share of the request for the "independence" skill in professional industries, % of the total number of vacancies presented in a specific industry section

Download (128KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. The share of vacancies containing a request for the skill "independence" in the total number of vacancies in a specific salary range, %

Download (33KB)
Indexing metadata
5. Fig. 4. The proportion of mentions of the skill "independence" in various industries in four salary ranges, % of the number of vacancies requesting the skill "independence" in a particular industry

Download (237KB)
Indexing metadata
6. Fig. 5. The share of mentioning the "independence" skill in job descriptions by different salary levels, % of the number of vacancies requesting the "independence" skill in the industry

Download (408KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2024 Russian Academy of Sciences