Abstract
In an era marked by post-pandemic transformation, accelerated artificial intelligence adoption, and geopolitical uncertainty, organizations rely on restructuring and downsizing to sustain competitiveness. While such strategies may support short-term survival, they heighten employees’ perceptions of job insecurity. Drawing on Uncertainty Management Theory, this paper conceptualizes layoff fear as an affective response to employment uncertainty that shapes cognitive appraisals of job insecurity during organizational change. It further examines whether perceived employability and career adaptability function as personal resources that buffer the effects of layoff fear, and whether ethical leadership moderates these relationships by providing fairness, transparency, and moral guidance cues. Given the substantial individual and organizational consequences associated with job insecurity, this development paper aims to advance theoretical understanding and offer practical insights for managing uncertainty in contemporary workplaces.