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Well-being among contract healthcare workers: Balancing job demands and personal resources
Contract-based healthcare workers often encounter disproportionate challenges, including job insecurity, limited opportunities for career progression, and unequal remuneration, despite performing duties comparable to those of permanent staff. This study investigates the moderating role of personal resources in the relationship between job demands and employee well-being among contract healthcare workers. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 221 contract healthcare workers at a public hospital. Moderated Regression analyses tested the direct and interaction effects of job demands and personal resources on well-being. Job demands negatively predicted well-being, while personal resources had a significant positive effect. Personal resources moderated the relationship between job demands and well-being, buffering the adverse effects of high demands. The findings emphasise the need for HR strategies that not only manage job demands but also enhance personal resources through resilience training, psychological coaching, and self-efficacy development. Such interventions promote psychological safety and workforce sustainability. This study extends the JD-R and COR frameworks by empirically confirming the moderating role of personal resources. It offers practical insights for improving well-being among contract healthcare workers in high-demand environments.