PhD defence Angela Henriëtte Aïchaa Messioui

On Thursday, 3 September 2026, Angela Henriëtte Aïchaa Messioui successfully defended her PhD thesis:

“Economic skills obsolescence”

Work is constantly changing. As a result of technological and organisational changes, knowledge and skills that employees were previously able to use effectively may become less valuable. This is known as economic skills obsolescence. This dissertation examines how employees experience and respond to economic skills obsolescence and the importance of development opportunities at work. The findings show that perceived economic skills obsolescence is associated with lower work engagement, more burnout symptoms, greater job insecurity and more sickness absence. Sickness absence, in turn, may also be associated with perceived economic skills obsolescence. Development opportunities at work appear to be an important resource. Opportunities to learn new things, make use of talents and pursue ambitions are associated with greater work engagement and less sickness absence. The findings therefore highlight the importance of a work environment in which employees can continue to develop 

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andries de Grip
Co-supervisors: Dr. Jos Sanders, Prof. Dr. Tinka van Vuuren

Download thesis

Messioui, A. H. A. (2026). Economic skills obsolescence. [Doctoral Thesis, Maastricht University]. Maastricht University. https://doi.org/10.26481/dis.20260903am