From Job Insecurity to Burnout in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement and the Moderating Role of Artificial Intelligence Self-Efficacy

Kamil Hussain; Ikram Ahmed; Mustafa Altintaş; Burcu Altintaş; Lubna Amin; Sahrish Taj; Khawaja Zeeshan Waheed; Shehla Naureen; Noura Metawa

doi:10.32479/irmm.23807

Authors

Kamil Hussain Department of Management Sciences, University of Wah, Quaid Avenue, Wah Cantt, Pakistan,
Ikram Ahmed Department of Management Sciences, University of Wah, Quaid Avenue, Wah Cantt, Pakistan,
Mustafa Altintaş Gazipaşa Faculty of Aviation and Space Sciences, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Antalya, Türkiye,
Burcu Altintaş Gazipaşa Vocational School, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Antalya, Türkiye,
Lubna Amin Institute of Management Sciences, The University of Haripur, Haripur Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan,
Sahrish Taj Department of Business Administration, National College of Business Administration and Economics, Lahore, Pakistan,
Khawaja Zeeshan Waheed Department of Management Sciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan,
Shehla Naureen Department of Management Sciences, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan,
Noura Metawa College of Business Administration, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE; & Faculty of Commerce, Mansoura University, Egypt.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.23807

Keywords:

Job Insecurity, Employee Burnout, Work Engagement, Artificial Intelligence, Self-Efficacy, Job Demands–Resources Model

Abstract

The study investigates the impact of job insecurity on employee burnout by emphasizing the mediating role of job involvement and the moderating role of self-efficacy in the use of artificial intelligence. Based on the Job Demand-Resource model and the Conservation of Resources theory, this study has explored how both psychological and technological resources shape employees’ responses to the workplace. Through a structured survey, data were collected from 430 employees of Pakistan’s software and IT firms and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM-PLS). Results indicated that job insecurity significantly increases burnout while simultaneously reducing job involvement. Moreover, job involvement has negatively influenced burnout, confirming its mediating role between insecurity and burnout. Besides, employees with higher AI self-efficacy reported stronger engagement, as self-efficacy was negatively associated with job insecurity and job involvement. These findings highlight the complex interplay among stressors, engagement, and technological confidence in shaping employee well-being. In addition, the current study contributes to theory by integrating AI-related self-efficacy into established stress-strain frameworks and by offering practical implications for organizations to minimize burnout by increasing employee involvement, reducing insecurity, and strengthening digital competencies.