Latent constructs determining Internet job search behaviors : Motivation, opportunity and job change intention

This study investigates the individual differences of job seekers as the antecedents of Internet job search behaviors using the push and pull theories and theory of planned behavior. Data based on a sample of 361 Hong Kong employed individuals confirm the importance of the two dimensions of the Internet job search behaviors: job search intensity and job sources. By conducting structural equation modeling analysis, the results show that individual differences could be conceptualized as three hypothesized antecedents: motivation, opportunity and job change intention. The results also reveal that motivation is the strongest predictor of job search intensity; opportunity is the strongest predictor of job sources; job change intention is a partial mediator of Internet job search behaviors via motivation, but not via opportunity. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.