In response to the pervasive influence of AI across various professional domains, we investigate how the acquisition of AI knowledge as a future work skill can foster career sustainability. Our exploration delves into the role of this knowledge in aligning individual skills with job demands, enhancing what we term as person-job fit. Moreover, we present a moderated-mediation model to examine the interactive influence of career confidence between person-job fit and career sustainability. Data were collected in three waves from part-time students pursuing professional courses, concurrently employed in diverse industrial sectors of Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) on a final dataset (n = 318). Our findings reveal that AI knowledge as a future work skill significantly contributes to workers’ career sustainability, both directly and through person-job fit. Additionally, higher career confidence significantly strengthens the interplay between person-job fit and career sustainability. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the study are discussed, along with potential avenues for future research in this domain.
AlqershiN.SaufiR. B. A.YazizM. F. B. A.PermarupanP. Y.MuhammadN. M. N.YusoffM. N. H. B.RamayahT. (2023). The threat of robots to career sustainability, and the pivotal role of knowledge management and human capital. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(3), 100386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100386
2.
AkkermansJ.SeibertS. E.MolS. T. (2018). Tales of the unexpected: Integrating career shocks in the contemporary careers literature. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 44(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v44i0.1503
3.
ArshadiN.DamiriH. (2013). The relationship of job stress with turnover intention and job performance: Moderating role of OBSE. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 84, 706–710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.631
4.
BabuR.HeathD. (2017). Mobile assistive technology and the job fit of blind workers. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 15(2), 110–124. https://doi.org/10.1108/jices-10-2016-0041
5.
BakerM. (2010). Choices or constraints? Family responsibilities, gender and academic career. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 41(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.41.1.1
BarthauerL.KaucherP.SpurkD.KauffeldS. (2020). Burnout and career (un) sustainability: Looking into the Blackbox of burnout triggered career turnover intentions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103334
8.
BhargavaA.BesterM.BoltonL. (2021). Employees’ perceptions of the implementation of robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation (RAIA) on job satisfaction, job security, and employability. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 6(1), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-020-00153-8
9.
BhaskarA. U.BaruchY.GuptaS. (2023). Drivers of career success among the visually impaired: Improving career inclusivity and sustainability in a career ecosystem. Human Relations, 76(10), 1507–1544. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267221103529
10.
BorgenF. H.BetzN. E. (2008). Career self-efficacy and personality: Linking career confidence and the healthy personality. Journal of Career Assessment, 16(1), 22–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072707305770
11.
BozionelosN.LinC. H.LeeK. Y. (2020). Enhancing the sustainability of employees' careers through training: The roles of career actors' openness and of supervisor support. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103333
12.
BroughamD.HaarJ. (2018). Smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA): Employees’ perceptions of our future workplace. Journal of Management and Organization, 24(2), 239–257. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2016.55
13.
ByrneB. M. (1994). Structural equation modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows: Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151989
14.
CaldwellD. F.O'ReillyIII, C. A. (1990). Measuring person-job fit with a profile-comparison process. Journal of applied psychology, 75(6), 648. https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.75.6.648
CaplinA.LeahyJ. (2001). Psychological expected utility theory and anticipatory feelings. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(1), 55–79. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355301556347
17.
ChanS. H. J.MaiX. (2015). The relation of career adaptability to satisfaction and turnover intentions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89, 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.05.005
18.
ChhabraB. (2015). Person–job fit: Mediating role of job satisfaction & organizational commitment. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 638–651. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24547010
19.
ChinT.JawaharI. M.LiG. (2022). Development and validation of a career sustainability scale. Journal of Career Development, 49(4), 769–787. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845321993234
20.
ChinT.LiG.JiaoH.AddoF.JawaharI. M. (2019). Career sustainability during manufacturing innovation: A review, a conceptual framework and future research agenda. Career Development International, 24(6), 509–528. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-02-2019-0034
21.
ChinT.ZhangW.JawaharI. M. (2023). Intellectual capital and employee innovative behavior in cross-border e-commerce enterprises: The moderating role of career sustainability. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 24(6), 1532–1549. https://doi.org/10.1108/jic-10-2022-0193
22.
DenizN.NoyanA.ErtosunÖ. G. (2015). Linking person-job fit to job stress: The mediating effect of perceived person-organization fit. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 369–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.107
23.
De VosA.SoensN. (2008). Protean attitude and career success: The mediating role of self-management. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(3), 449–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.08.007
24.
De VosA.Van der HeijdenB. I. (2017). Current thinking on contemporary careers: The key roles of sustainable HRM and sustainability of careers. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 28, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.07.003
25.
EdokpolorJ. E.OtacheI.OrjiC. T. (2022). Entrepreneurial career self-confidence and sustainable development core values: Moderating effect of entrepreneurial career intention. International Journal of Educational Benchmark, 21(1), 1–15.
26.
FornellC.LarckerD. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of marketing research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
27.
GeX.YuH.ZhangQ.SongS.LiuS. (2023). Self-goal setting as a way to career sustainability: Exploring the roles of career crafting and perceived organizational goal clarity. Career Development International, 28(6/7), 756–771. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-05-2023-0154
28.
GoodhueD. L.ThompsonR. L. (1995). Task-technology fit and individual performance. MIS Quarterly, 19(2), 213–236. https://doi.org/10.2307/249689
29.
GuoW.WangL.WangN. (2021). Research on the impact of career management fit on career success. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 59(2), 279–304. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12236
30.
HallR. J.SnellA. F.FoustM. S. (1999). Item parceling strategies in SEM: Investigating the subtle effects of unmodeled secondary constructs. Organizational Research Methods, 2(3), 233–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442819923002
31.
HenselerJ.RingleC. M.SarstedtM. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 43, 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
32.
HirschiA.NagyN.BaumelerF.JohnstonC. S.SpurkD. (2018). Assessing key predictors of career success: Development and validation of the career resources questionnaire. Journal of career assessment, 26(2), 338–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717695584
HobfollS. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested‐self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied psychology, 50(3), 337–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062
35.
HolmJ. R.LorenzE. (2022). The impact of artificial intelligence on skills at work in Denmark. New Technology, Work and Employment, 37(1), 79–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12215
36.
HussainS.GulR.UllahS. (2023). Role of financial inclusion and ICT for sustainable economic development in developing countries.Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 194, 122725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122725
37.
KakarA. S.SaufiR. A.DevadhasanB. D.MeyerN.VetrivelS. C.MagdaR. (2021). The mediating role of person-job fit between work-life balance (WLB) practices and academic turnover intentions in India’s higher educational institutions. Sustainability, 13(19), 10497. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910497
38.
Karaca-AtikA.MeeuwisseM.GorgievskiM.SmeetsG. (2023). Uncovering important 21st-century skills for sustainable career development of social sciences graduates: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 39, 100528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100528
39.
KellyC. M.StraussK.ArnoldJ.StrideC. (2020). The relationship between leisure activities and psychological resources that support a sustainable career: The role of leisure seriousness and work-leisure similarity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103340
40.
KishtonJ. M.WidamanK. F. (1994). Unidimensional versus domain representative parceling of questionnaire items: An empirical example. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54(3), 757–765. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164494054003022
41.
KongH.JiangX.ZhouX.BaumT.LiJ.YuJ. (2023a). Influence of artificial intelligence (AI) perception on career resilience and informal learning. Tourism Review, 79(1), 219–233. https://doi.org/10.1108/tr-10-2022-0521
42.
KongH.YuanY.BaruchY.BuN.JiangX.WangK. (2023b). Influences of artificial intelligence (AI) awareness on career competency and job burnout. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(2), 717–734. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2020-0789
43.
KungF. Y.KwokN.BrownD. J. (2018). Are attention check questions a threat to scale validity?Applied Psychology, 67(2), 264–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12108
44.
LawR.LeungD.ChanI. C. C. (2020). Progression and development of information and communication technology research in hospitality and tourism: A state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2), 511–534. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2018-0586
45.
LawrenceB. S.HallD. T.ArthurM. B. (2015). Sustainable careers then and now. In Handbook of research on sustainable careers (pp. 432–450). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782547037.00033
46.
LeeC. K.WingreenS. C. (2010). Transferability of knowledge, skills, and abilities along IT career paths: An agency theory perspective. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 20(1), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/10919390903482382
47.
LiC.LinC. L.ChinT. (2022). How does the paradoxical leadership of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) gig workers influence Chinese company performance: The role of psychological well-being. Sustainability, 14(19), 12307. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912307
48.
LittleT. D.RhemtullaM.GibsonK.SchoemannA. M. (2013). Why the items versus parcels controversy needn’t be one. Psychological methods, 18(3), 285. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033266
49.
ManseauJ. (2021). Anthropomorphizing artificial intelligence for better job-fit. In Pacis (p. 41). PACIS 2021 Proceedings. 41. https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2021/41
50.
MansorN. A.HamidY.AnwarI. S. K.Mohd IsaN. S.AbdullahM. Q. (2022). The awareness and knowledge on artificial intelligence among accountancy students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 1629–1640. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i11/15307
51.
MeadeA. W.CraigS. B. (2012). Identifying careless responses in survey data. Psychological Methods, 17(3), 437–455. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028085
52.
MöbiusM. M.NiederleM.NiehausP.RosenblatT. S. (2022). Managing self-confidence: Theory and experimental evidence. Management Science, 68(11), 7793–7817. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4294
PaglinM.RufoloA. M. (1990). Heterogeneous human capital, occupational choice, and male-female earnings differences. Journal of labor economics, 8(1, Part 1), 123–144. https://doi.org/10.1086/298239
55.
PakK.KooijT. A. M.De LangeA. H.Van den HeuvelS.Van VeldhovenM. J. P. M. (2023). Successful ageing at work: The role of job characteristics in growth trajectories of work ability and motivation to work amongst older workers. Acta Psychologica, 239, 104012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104012
56.
PakK.KooijD.De LangeA. H.MeyersM. C.van VeldhovenM. (2020). Unravelling the process between career shock and career (un) sustainability: Exploring the role of perceived human resource management. Career Development International, 26(4), 514–539. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-10-2018-0271
57.
PandyaS. S.WangJ. (2024). Artificial intelligence in career development: a scoping review. Human Resource Development International, 27(3), 324–344.
58.
PeavyR. V.HoskinsM. (1996). The Meaning of Work: A Constructivist Counselling Session.
59.
PalanS.SchitterC. (2018). Prolific.ac—a subject pool for online experiments. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 17, 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2017.12.004
60.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.PodsakoffN. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual review of psychology, 63(1), 539–569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452
61.
ParolaA.MarcionettiJ. (2022). Positive resources for flourishing: The effect of courage, self-esteem, and career adaptability in adolescence. Societies, 13(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13010005
62.
PengY.MaoC. (2015). The impact of person–job fit on job satisfaction: The mediator role of self efficacy. Social Indicators Research, 121(3), 805–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0659-x
63.
PresbiteroA.Teng-CallejaM. (2023). Job attitudes and career behaviors relating to employees' perceived incorporation of artificial intelligence in the workplace: A career self-management perspective. Personnel Review, 52(4), 1169–1187. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-02-2021-0103
64.
QuimbyJ. L.O'BrienK. M. (2004). Predictors of student and career decision making self efficacy among nontraditional college women. The Career Development Quarterly, 52(4), 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2004.tb00949.x
65.
RichardsonJ.JoguluU.RentschlerR. (2017). Passion or people? Social capital and career sustainability in arts management. Personnel Review, 46(8), 1835–1851. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-02-2016-0023
66.
RennJ. (2020). The evolution of knowledge: Rethinking science for the Anthropocene. In The Evolution of Knowledge. Princeton University Press.
67.
RichardsonJ.McKennaS. (2020). An exploration of career sustainability in and after professional sport. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.06.002
68.
RožmanM.TomincP.VrečkoI. (2023). Building skills for the future of work: Students’ perspectives on emerging jobs in the Data and AI Cluster through artificial intelligence in education. Environment and Social Psychology, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v8i2.1670
69.
RudolphC. W.LavigneK. N.ZacherH. (2017). Career adaptability: A meta-analysis of relationships with measures of adaptivity, adapting responses, and adaptation results. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 98, 17–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.09.002
70.
SavickasM. L. (2005). The theory and practice of career construction. Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work, 1, 42–70. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315693590-26
71.
SelenkoE.BankinsS.ShossM.WarburtonJ.RestubogS. L. D. (2022). Artificial intelligence and the future of work: A functional-identity perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(3), 272–279. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221091823
72.
SchaufeliW.SalanovaM. (2011). Work engagement: On how to better catch a slippery concept. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 20(1), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2010.515981
73.
SinghR.GreenhausJ. H. (2004). The relation between career decision-making strategies and person–job fit: A study of job changers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64(1), 198–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0001-8791(03)00034-4
74.
SkrbišZ.Laughland BooÿJ. (2019). Technology, change, and uncertainty: Maintaining career confidence in the early 21st century. New Technology, Work and Employment, 34(3), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12151
75.
TabachnickB. G. (2007). Experimental designs using ANOVA. Thomson/Brooks/Cole.
76.
TalluriS. B.SchreursB.UppalN. (2022). How do individual factors affect career sustainability? An investigation of cascading effects through the career construction model of adaptation. Career Development International, 27(6/7), 584–600. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-05-2022-0120
77.
ThompsonB. (2004). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis: Understanding concepts and applications. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10694-000
78.
TorderaN.PeiroJ. M.AyalaY.VillajosE.TruxilloD. (2020). The lagged influence of organizations' human resources practices on employees' career sustainability: The moderating role of age. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 120, 103444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103444
79.
TothI.HeinänenS.NisulaA. M.KiantoA. (2020). Sociotechnical determinants' effects on person-job fit and life satisfaction in two different knowledge work contexts. In KMIS (pp. 51–62). https://doi.org/10.5220/0010016300510062
80.
Van der HeijdenB. I.De VosA. (2015). Sustainable careers: Introductory chapter. In Handbook of research on sustainable careers (pp. 1–19). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782547037.00006
81.
van den GroenendaalS. M. E.AkkermansJ.FleisherC.KooijD. T.PoellR. F.FreeseC. (2022). A qualitative exploration of solo self-employed workers' career sustainability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 134, 103692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103692
82.
Van der HeijdenB.De VosA.AkkermansJ.SpurkD.SemeijnJ.Van der VeldeM.FugateM. (2020). Sustainable careers across the lifespan: Moving the field forward. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103344
83.
WestS. G.FinchJ. F.CurranP.J. (1995) Structural Equation Models with Non Normal Variables: Problems and remedies. In: HoyleR.H. (Ed.) Structural Equation Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Applications, Sage, pp. 56-75.
84.
XuS.StienmetzJ.AshtonM. (2020). How will service robots redefine leadership in hotel management? A delphi approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2217–2237. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-05-2019-0505
85.
ZhangW.ChinT.LiF.LinC. L.ShanY. N.VentimigliaF. (2022). The impact of career competence on career sustainability among Chinese expatriate managers amid digital transformation in Vietnam: The role of lifelong learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 791636. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.791636
