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Erik Berntson

Docent, universitetslektor

My research concern work and organizational psychology in general - how individuals act, react and perceive their working life. Also, how the labour market changes and how these changes affect working life in general and the individual in particular is of interest. Specifically, I have focused on the concept of employability, where I have investigated both what determines employability and what the consequences of being employable are. My research does also concern working conditions in general but specifically working condtions for managers in public sector. I am also interested in methods and apply different statistical methods, such as cluster analysis for example, in my research projects.

Teaching

I currently teach in four courses at the Department of Psychology. At the Master level I teach and am responsible for the course in Enkätmetodik. I am also teaching and partly responsible for the course Organisationspsykologi (avancerad nivå). In Organisationspsykologi (PII) I have a lecture in Power and Conflicts. In Metod (PII) I have a lecture in basic Classical test theory. In Arbetspsykologi (PII) I have a lecture in employability. In addition, I supervise thesis at all levels in the Department.

Projects

My main research is concerned with the concept of employability. As from January 2010 I am working in as a Post-doc with funding from FAS (Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research). The project, named ”Employability perceptions - relationship with gender, age and health. Is the labour market divided into segments?”, focus on the concept of employability and if there are structural factors that are related to level of employability.

I am currently also working in a project located in Gothenburg with project leader Professor Annika Härenstam called CHEFiOS. This project focus on working conditions for managers in the public sector. The project, with funding from VINNOVA (The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems) is an intervention project running over a three-year period.

Thesis

My thesis is called Employability perceptions - Nature, determinants, and implications for health and well-being. Employability perceptions refer to individuals' beliefs about their possibilities to get new, equal or better employment. How people perceive their possibilities of getting employment is important in a labour market characterised by flexibility and uncertainty, and the present thesis sets out to investigate the nature, determinants, and implications of employability perceptions, using two population-based samples. In conclusion, the present thesis has implications for theory as well as practice when it concludes that employability is not primarily a self-evaluation, that it is dependent on individual as well as situational factors, and that it has implications for health and well-being.

More information including fulltext pdf in DiVA.

Publications

Baraldi, S., Kalyal, H.J., Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. (In press). The importance of commitment to change in public reform: an example from Pakistan. Journal of Change Managment.

Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. (2010). The moderating role of employability in the association between job insecurity and exit, voice, loyalty and neglect. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 31(2), 215-230.

Kalyal, H., Berntson, E., Baraldi, S., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. (2010). The moderating role of employability on the relationship between job insecurity and commitment to change. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 31(3), 327-344.

Bernhard-Oettel, C., De Cuyper, N., Berntson, E., & Isaksson, K. (2008). Well-being and organizational attitudes in alternative employment: The role of contract and job preferences. International Journal of Stress Management, 15(4), 345-363.

Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. (2008). Investigating the relationship between employability and self-efficacy: A cross-lagged analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17(4), 413-425.

De Cuyper, N., Bernhard-Oettel, C., Berntson, E., De Witte, H., & Alarco, B. (2008). Employability, and employees' well-being: Mediation by job insecurity. Applied psychology: An International Review, 57(3), 488-509.

Berntson, E., & Marklund, S. (2007). The relationship between perceived employability and subsequent health, Work & Stress, 21(3), 279-292.

Berntson, E., Sverke, M., & Marklund, S. (2006). Predicting perceived employability: human capital or labour market opportunities? Economic and Industrial Democaracy, 27( 2), 223-244.

Härenstam, A., Marklund, S., Berntson, E., Bolin, M., & Ylander, J. (2006). Understanding the organisational impact on working conditions and health. Arbete och Hälsa, 2006:82.

Marklund, S., Berntson, E., Bolin, M., Härenstam, A., & Ylander, J. (2006). Changing organisations and work-related health: Technical report of methods, sample and design of three studies. Arbetslivsrapport 2006:47. Stockholm: Arbetslivsinstitutet.

Berntson, E., Hemmingsson, T., Härenstam, A., Marklund, S., Torgén, M., & Wikman, A. (2006). Arbetslivskohorten - Teknisk rapport 2. Arbetslivsrapport 2005:22. Stockholm: Arbetslivsinstitutet.

Berntson, E., Hemmingsson, T., Härenstam, A., Marklund, S., Torgén, M., & Wikman, A. (2006). Arbetslivskohorten: - Teknisk rapport 1. Arbetslivsrapport, 2005:8. Stockholm: Arbetslivsinstitutet.

Erik Berntson's abstracts i Annual Report.

Conference Presentations

Berntson, E., Näswall, K., & Sverke, M. (2008). Should I Stay or Should I Go? Does Employability Alter the Exit, Voice, Loyalty and Neglect Reactions to Job Insecurity? Small Group Meeting, Leuven, Belgium, September 17-19, 2008.

Berntson, E., Härenstam, A., & Stjernström, C. (2007). A Holistic Approach to Work-life Balance. The XIIIth European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology, Stockholm, May 9-12 2007.

Berntson, E., Bernhard-Oettel, C., & De Cuyper, N. (2007). The Moderating Role of Employability in the Relationship between Organizational Changes and Job Insecurity. The XIIIth European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology, Stockholm, May 9-12, 2007.

Bernhard-Oettel, C., De Cuyper, N., Berntson, E., & Isaksson, K. (2007). Contract and job choice in different employment arrangements: Are they of importance for perceived insecurity, employability, and well-being? The 13th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology, Stockholm, May 9-12 2007.

Berntson, E., & Marklund, S. (2006). The relationship between employability and subsequent health. Paper presented at The Sixth Conference on Psychology and Health, Kerkrade.

Berntson, E., Sverke, M., Näswall, K., & Hellgren, J. (2006). The relationship between self-efficacy and employability. Poster presented at The 7th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, Dublin, Ireland, November 8-10, 2006.

De Cuyper, N., Bernhard-Oettel, C., Berntson, E., & De Witte, H. (2006). Employability among insecure/temporary workers. Paper presented at The 7th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, Dublin, 8-10 November.

Hellgren, J., Sverke, M., Näswall, K., & Berntson, E. (2006). Turnover as a response to job insecurity: The moderating effect of employability. Paper presented at The Sixth Conference on Psychology and Health, Kerkrade, the Netherlands, 8-10 May, 2006.

Berntson, E. (2005). The Role of Employability in How Individuals Respond to Organizational Change. Bidrag till konferens. Second ICOH International Conference on Psychosocial Factors at Work. Abstract Book, Okayama, Japan.

Berntson, E. (2003). The employable individual: a descriptive study of employability in Sweden. Bidrag till konferens. Occupational Health Psychology: Flexibility, Qualitiy of Working Life and Health, Berlin.