8. Measuring Preference for Non-standard Work: Relationships with EPL Motivations, Efficacies, Perceived Employability, and Career Adaptability

We report the development of a new self-report measure of individual differences in Preferences for Non-Standard Work (PNSW), and an effort to explore relationships between PNSW and Entrepreneurial-Professional-Professional motivations and efficacies, alongside measures of perceived employability and career adaptabilities. Using data collected from a sample of 225 undergraduate students, confirmatory factor analysis showed that individuals can discriminate between five forms of nonstandard work as follows: independent contracting, outsourced work , temporary or part-time work, working in a “start-up”, and external deployment. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that while the preference for outsourced, temporary/part-time work and external deployments were not predicted by EPL motivations, efficacies, or career adaptability factors, entrepreneurial motivation and efficacy were significantly predictive of preferences for independent contracting and start-up work, as one would expect. The preference for start-up work was also weakly but significantly correlated with all four career adaptability factors, with overall career adaptability correlating significantly with start-up preference at r = 0.26. The findings are discussed in relation to understanding individual differences in Preferences for Non-Standard Work (PNSW), and the use of such measures in career counselling.