Dr. Julian Decius, together with Katharina Klug (University of Bremen) and Dr. Anahí Van Hootegem (University of Canterbury, New Zealand; KU Leuven, Belgium), has published a new article in the Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.

The study used large archival data from the European Working Conditions Survey, covering about 34,000 employees in 2015 and 60,000 employees in 2021. Taking a person-centered perspective, three recurring profiles of economic stressors were identified: low, subjective-dominant, and high. The key findings show a clear and significant gradient: the higher the economic stress, the lower the likelihood of participating in workplace training – and the lower the level of mental well-being. In countries where the “subjective-dominant” profile is more common, overall training participation is also lower.

For practice, three main implications emerge:

• Remove barriers: reduce costs and time requirements for training.
• Target outreach: actively include vulnerable groups such as part-time employees, those with short tenure, lower formal education, or blue-collar jobs.
• Increase feasibility: design short, job-embedded learning formats with supportive measures to build confidence.

At the country level, results mostly showed no additional moderation effects (only one very small and inconsistent interaction for well-being). Overall, however, the study makes clear that reducing economic stress fosters training participation at work.

The article is available open access here.