Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI)

The purpose of this study was to analyze the structural relationships between the variables of middle-aged unemployed men’s career barriers, social support, ego-resilience, job search efficacy and career preparation behavior. To achieve this goal, a sample of men (N = 513) was drawn from data on middle-aged unemployed men at three employment service centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The collected data were analyzed using a structural equation model. This study verified that career barriers and social support were possible intervening variables in career preparation, identified that ego-resilience was the most important variable for overcoming career barriers and lack of social support. Programs are needed to help passive middle-aged unemployed men with positive attitudes to look for work in harsh employment environments. If programs aimed at improving ego-resilience and job search efficacy are developed and used in the field at actual training centers and in counseling areas, the men’s career preparation behavior would increase.