Job embeddedness among internationally relocated workers between spillover effects, crossover effects, and transnationalism: a review and agenda for future research

Abstract

The retention of internationally relocated workers (IRWs) and their job embeddedness hold significant importance for employers facing labor and skill shortages. While the concept of job embeddedness has been empirically validated using national samples, there exists a paucity of examination regarding its applicability and evolution within the context of IRWs. In our systematic review of 45 empirical studies, we have discerned three distinctive characteristics of job embeddedness applicable to IRWs. These include heightened spillover and crossover effects compared to their domestic counterparts, as well as transnationalism. The spillover and crossover effects describe how IRWs establish and fortify their embeddedness within the host country, while transnationalism expands the constellation of job embeddedness by incorporating a multi-country component. We summarized relevant literature and provided propositions for each characteristic, as well as outlined its implications for theory and practice.