The interactive effect of job skill level and citizenship status on job depression, work engagement and turnover intentions: A moderated mediation model in the context of macro-level turbulence (of ‘Brexit’)

Abstract

This study examines the role that citizenship plays in moderating the relationship between job-skill level, work-related depression, engagement, and turnover-intentions for UK based employees across 6 months in the year following the Brexit referendum. In two waves of data collection, citizenship moderated the relationship between job-skill level and depressive states; among EU citizens, those in low skilled jobs experienced greater depressive states than employees in high skilled jobs, this difference was not found among UK citizens. Furthermore, depressive states were subsequently related with low work engagement and high turnover intentions and citizenship moderated the indirect-effect of job skill on engagement and turnover intentions via depressive states. This study shows that during the turbulent times following the Brexit referendum, EU citizens in the UK with low-skilled jobs were most affected by depressive states, were subsequently less engaged and showed higher levels of intent to quit.