Three meta-analyses covering 180+ samples show that specific psychological resources predict employability, income, job performance, and life satisfaction across countries and methods.

The CAAS model for Career adaptability comprises four dimensions:

  • Concern: See ahead. Prepare.
  • Control: Own choices. Follow through.
  • Curiosity: Go explore. Test paths.
  • Confidence: You can do hard things.

Rudolph, Lavigne & Zacher (2017): Across 90 studies, adaptability relates to employability, income, job performance, and life satisfaction—even when controlling for personality.

Rudolph, Lavigne, Katz & Zacher (2017): In 76 samples (~40k people), Confidence shows the strongest unique links to employability and job performance; other Cs lead in other outcomes (e.g., Concern with career satisfaction and lower turnover intent).

Stead, LaVeck & Hurtado Rúa (2022): Across 18 studies, adaptability correlates .36–.44 with career decision self-efficacy, a direct predictor of employment outcomes.

The 2010s–2020s evidence is consistent: you can’t control uncertainty, but you can build adaptability—and it pays.

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Sources:

Rudolph, C. W., Lavigne, K. N., & Zacher, H. (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://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001879116300604

Rudolph, C. W., Lavigne, K. N., Katz, I. M., & Zacher, H. (2017). Linking dimensions of career adaptability to adaptation results: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 151-173. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001879117300593

Stead, G. B., LaVeck, L. M., & Hurtado Rúa, S. M. (2022). Career adaptability and career decision self-efficacy: Meta-analysis. Journal of Career Assessment, 30(3), 455-482. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08948453211012477