Employees' Antifragility After Job Loss: A Qualitative Study on Intrinsic Motivation and Career Reinvention

Abstract

In the face of growing labor market instability driven by technological disruption, economic volatility and public health crises, job loss has become an increasingly common and deeply disruptive experience, especially for young adults at the beginning of their careers. This qualitative study investigates how members of Generation Z in Vietnam rebuild motivation and develop antifragility following involuntary job loss. Drawing on interviews and focus group discussions with 37 participants, the findings reveal a three-stage process: (1) emotional disorientation and identity disruption; (2) reactivation of intrinsic motivation through self-directed actions; and (3) the emergence of antifragility—marked by proactive adaptation, flexible career reinvention and a redefinition of success. Rather than a fixed trait, antifragility is conceptualized as a psychological capacity that develops when individuals gradually restore autonomy, competence and social connection. The study expands existing theories of career adaptation by showing how intrinsic motivation drives growth beyond resilience in response to adversity. It also highlights the urgent need for policies and support systems that go beyond reemployment to promote psychological renewal and sustainable career development in uncertain times.