The Flexibility Paradox: Why Searching More Broadly for Work Can Narrow Unemployed Jobseekers' Prospects

Abstract: Policymakers across OECD nations routinely encourage or require unemployed jobseekers to widen their search beyond previous occupations, pay levels, and commuting ranges. Career scholars have similarly endorsed flexibility as a hallmark of adaptable, self-directed career management. Yet a growing body of evidence suggests that flexible job search behavior (FJSB) may not deliver the anticipated benefits—and may, in some cases, undermine both re-employment likelihood and subsequent job quality. This article synthesizes research on the antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences of FJSB, drawing centrally on a landmark two-wave longitudinal study of 672 unemployed Flemish jobseekers. It examines the opposing "positive path" and "negative path" through which flexibility operates in the hiring process, explores why career-adaptable individuals do not necessarily search more flexibly, and outlines evidence-based organizational and policy responses. The article concludes with forward-looking recommendations for building long-term career resilience without sacrificing re-employment quality.