While much attention has been focused on tourist, organisational and destination resilience in tourism, in the post-COVID-19 era labour market it is vital to consider employee resilience more fully. A macro-, meso- and micro-level conceptualisation postulating that three-tiered factors, together, impact employee resilience is framed and empirically tested. This research sought to identify a gap in knowledge regarding the motivational antecedents of employee resilience using a sequential two (field and panel) study design. Results showed higher emotional intelligence and working in stronger learning culture and adaptive capacity organisations promoted resilience as did employment and business supports. Motivational states of self-efficacy and sense of meaning are key mechanisms that connect these multi-tiered factors to employee resilience. This macro-meso-micro conceptualisation not only extends theoretical understanding in this crisis context, but also provides practical implications regarding sources of effective support to enhance employee resilience.