Matching a person's capabilities and characteristics with the demands and characteristics of their job is crucial for sustainable employment, in particular for persons with disabilities. The present study aims to summarize and synthesize conceptual and empirical knowledge on job matching (JM) from industrial and organizational psychology (IOP), vocational psychology (VP), and return to work (RTW) research. We conducted a scoping study applying Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework and using eight electronic databases from psychology, economics, and medicine. The literature search covered studies in English and German published between 1945 and 2015. A total of 312 studies were selected and analyzed. Of these, 205 were assigned to IOP, 45 to VP, 31 to both IOP and VP, and 17 to RTW research. Fourteen studies were allocated to both RTW and VP research, representing the field of vocational rehabilitation counseling. IOP and VP studies predominantly investigated the effects of JM on work-related outcomes, such as job satisfaction, tenure, or career development. RTW research focused on the development of mainly generic JM tools for job placement of persons with disabilities. Limited cross-fertilization between IOP and VP and the RTW context became evident. Unlike in IOP and VP, there is a dearth of JM research in the RTW context. Integrating the broad organizational and occupational JM knowledge from IOP and VP with the biopsychosocial framework of RTW could provide a sound basis for developing JM applications in vocational rehabilitation counseling that promote sustainable work reintegration of persons with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record

BACKGROUND: Labour market participation (LMP) represents a key goal of rehabilitation for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). To achieve this goal, Swiss SCI rehabilitation centres seek, together with their clients, viable follow-up solutions for returning to work after initial rehabilitation. However, the long-term outcomes of such vocational follow-up solutions have not been investigated so far, and there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the various types of employment pathways that persons with SCI living in Switzerland may experience. OBJECTIVE: To examine long-term employment pathways as experienced by individuals with SCI living in Switzerland. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study design involving narrative interviews with individuals who completed vocational rehabilitation (VR) during their initial rehabilitation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: The analysis of the 15 interviews revealed four employment pathways: the pathway of no paid work, the pathway of retraining, the pathway of job adaptation and the pathway of continuing work. CONCLUSIONS: Apart from three pathways leading towards paid employment, our results revealed one pathway that was characterized by permanent unemployment. Individuals facing a pathway of no paid work may benefit from more custom-made vocational follow-up solutions and prolonged job coaching after initial VR.

Observational study based on the 2012 community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI). To investigate work and wellbeing-related consequences of different return-to-work (RTW) pathways after SCI. Community-based. Using a subsample of 243 SwiSCI participants, we determined whether a respondent had returned to the pre-injury employer, started with a new employer or had not returned to gainful employment post-SCI. For each pathway, descriptive statistics were provided and work and wellbeing-related consequences were examined with regression analyses. One hundred eleven (45.7%) participants had returned to their pre-injury employer, 80 (32.9%) had changed employers and 52 (21.4%) had never returned to paid work post-SCI. Although returning to the pre-injury employer was associated with a shorter RTW time and a higher current weekly work time compared with starting work with a new employer, no significant differences were found with regard to current employment status and post-SCI work duration. Concerning wellbeing-related outcomes (i.e., income, quality of life and life satisfaction), the two pathways did not differ. Although lasting RTW had beneficial wellbeing outcomes, the specific pathway initially taken (i.e., pre-injury vs. new employer) appeared less crucial. Although the two pathways seem equally viable, longitudinal data are required to corroborate the present findings, and future research needs to clarify the role of the client triage system and of vocational rehabilitation practices with regard to person–job match and its impact on job satisfaction and job performance.