Data_Sheet_1_Work stress, technological changes, and job insecurity in the retail organization context.docx

The study intends to investigate the relationship between work stress and job insecurity, as well as technological changes and job insecurity, with job satisfaction acting as a mediator. The study was conducted among Pakistani retail industry employees using survey questionnaires distributed online and in stores. The sample was composed of 262 retail workers from the FMCG and shopping mall industries. The responses were screened using the statistical software tool SPSS, and hypotheses were examined through SMART-PLS. The findings show that work stress has a strong relationship with job insecurity; additionally, the relationship appears to be statistically significant (β = 55.7%, p < 0.05), indicating that there is an increased level of job insecurity if work stress is increased. However, technological advancements showed less influence on job insecurity and had statistically insignificant results (β = 5.9%, p > 0.05). This demonstrates that many technological changes cause high levels of job insecurity because employees fear that they will be unable to cope with the changing environment. Furthermore, the mediating mechanism of job satisfaction was found to be significant, as employees with lower levels of satisfaction reported higher levels of insecurity, aiding in the narrowing of the gap in this section of the study. The study also has practical implications because the results show that the retail industry needs to act quickly to make sure workers do not worry about losing their jobs, especially now that COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire.

本研究旨在探讨工作压力与职业不稳定性的关系，以及技术变革与职业不稳定性的关联，其中，工作满意度充当调节变量。研究通过对巴基斯坦零售行业员工进行在线及店内问卷调查的方式展开。样本由来自快速消费品（FMCG）和购物中心行业的262名零售工人组成。调查结果利用SPSS统计软件工具进行筛选，并通过SMART-PLS方法检验假设。研究发现，工作压力与职业不稳定性之间存在着显著的关联；此外，这种关联在统计学上具有显著性（β = 55.7%，p < 0.05），表明随着工作压力的增加，职业不稳定性的水平也会相应提高。然而，技术进步对职业不稳定性的影响较小，且统计结果不具有显著性（β = 5.9%，p > 0.05）。这表明，许多技术变革导致职业不稳定性升高，因为员工担心无法适应不断变化的环境。此外，研究发现工作满意度的调节机制具有显著性，满意度较低的员工报告了更高的不安全感，从而有助于缩小本研究这一领域的差距。该研究亦具有实践意义，因为结果显示，零售行业需要迅速采取行动，以确保工人不担心失业问题，尤其是在COVID-19疫情迅速蔓延的当下。