TY  - MANSCPT
AU  - Zuria Akmal Binti Saad,
TI  - Determinants of new collar job seeker’s search behavior: integration of signaling theory, theory of planned behaviour and technology acceptance model 
SN  - THE0010174 (Local)
PY  - 2025///
CY  - Kuantan, Pahang
PB  - UMPSA
KW  - Faculty of Industrial Management
KW  - Dissertations
KW  - Universities and colleges
KW  - Theses
N1  - Faculty of Industrial Management; Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang – 2025; Includes bibliographical references
N2  - As labour markets continue to undergo rapid technological and demographic changes, understanding the online job search behaviour of new-collar job seekers, who are non-graduates with technical and digital skills, has become increasingly important. This emerging group plays a critical role in supporting the digital economy, particularly in developing countries. Although previous research has extensively examined job seeker behaviour, there is still limited focus on how recruitment signals at the early stages of the hiring process influence this specific workforce segment. Moreover, existing studies have shown varying and inconclusive results regarding the factors that shape online job search behaviour. These gaps highlight the need for a more comprehensive and context-sensitive approach to better understand how new-collar job seekers respond to recruitment messages and engage with digital job search platforms. To address this gap, the present study integrates signalling theory, the decomposed theory of planned behaviour, and the technology acceptance model to develop a comprehensive framework that explains job application intention and online job search behaviour among new-collar job seekers. Data were collected from 330 final-year TVET students across the East Coast region of Malaysia and analysed using IBM SPSS 24 and PLS-SEM 4. The analysis supported 12 out of 15 hypotheses. Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control significantly influenced online job search behaviour and were shaped by perceived usefulness, social influences, and platform informativeness. Organizational attributes and job characteristics, which serve as key recruitment signals, significantly influenced perceptions of person–organisation fit and job attractiveness, which in turn affected application intention. However, perceived ease of use and person–job fit showed no significant effect, indicating context-specific limitations in applying TAM constructs to this demographic. The findings theoretically contribute by advancing a multi-theory job search behaviour model and providing practical implications for employers and policymakers to optimize recruitment signals and design inclusive, user-friendly online job platforms. These insights support Malaysia’s broader goal of improving labour market efficiency and new-collar workforce integration in the digital economy. Keywords: Online job search behaviour, new-collar job seeker, decomposed theory of planned behaviour, technology acceptance model, signalling theory
ER  -