A Study Examining the Impact of Job Coaching Procedures on Career Sustainability of Young Professionals with a Work Handicap and the Mediating Role of Person-Job Fit.

Abstract

As labour participation is not always a certainty for people with a work handicap, a sustainable career becomes increasingly important. This research is conducted in close collaboration with Stichting Studeren en Werken Op Maat which is an organisation that focuses on facilitating sustainable careers for Young Professionals with a distance to the labour market. In this process, the job coaching procedure they provide could be beneficial to attain this goal. The present study is therefore focused on the role of this job coaching procedure in achieving a sustainable career. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the person-job fit mediated this relationship. The data of this mixed-method study were collected by means of interviews and surveys which were analysed thoroughly. The results present that the person-job fit is not mediating the relationship between the job coaching procedure and career sustainability. However, it does play a significant role in achieving a sustainable career. Furthermore, regarding the quantitative results, the only relevant positive relationship is between the frequency of job coaching and work productivity. Contrarily, both the Young Professionals and the job coaches indicated they perceived the relationship between job coaching and the person- job fit to be positive. Next to that, an indirect relationship was identified with the indicators of career sustainability.