The Relationship Between Economic Constraints, Work Volition, and Occupational Engagement Among Undergraduate Students: The Moderating Effect of Perceived External Employability

Objectives This study aimed to examine the relationship between economic constraints and occupational engagement through work volition among undergraduate students. It also investigated whether the perception of external employment opportunities moderates this indirect relationship. Methods An online survey was conducted with 280 undergraduate students enrolled in a university in Seoul. The survey measured economic constraints, perceived external employability, work volition, and occupational engagement using established scales. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. The mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects were examined through the PROCESS macro. Results The results revealed that economic constraints had a negative impact on occupational engagement through reduced work volition. More importantly, this indirect relationship was significantly moderated by the perception of external employability. Specifically, when perceived external employability was low, economic constraints reduced occupational engagement through decreased work volition. However, this relationship was no longer significant when perceived external employability was high. Conclusions Overall, this study highlights the importance of perceived external labor market opportunities and work volition in shaping occupational engagement among economically constrained undergraduates. When perceptions of employability in the external labor market are low, work volition may decrease among economically constrained students, which can, in turn, weaken their occupational engagement.