The impact of HRM, perceived employability, and job insecurity on self-initiated expatriates’ adjustment to the host country

Career-oriented human resource management (HRM) practices are likely to facilitate self-initiated expatriates’ adjustment to the host country. This may happen because these practices could boost one's professional development and lead to different types of career security (job security and employment security), which were probably missing in their home country and may be important elements to adjust to the host country. Quantitative survey data from 234 Portuguese self-initiated expatriates in the United Kingdom were analyzed via structural equation modeling. Results demonstrate that career-oriented HRM practices are positively related to adjustment to the host country. These practices are also positively related to perceived job security and perceived internal employability, an indicator of employment security, but these latter variables were not significantly related to adjustment to the host country. These results suggest that career-oriented HRM practices are indeed relevant for the adjustment of self-initiated expatriates, but not necessarily because they increase career security. Further analyses positively correlated adjustment to time intended to remain in the host country.