Measuring Sustainable Career: Validation and Predictive Value of the Spanish Career Sustainability Scale

Research on sustainable careers often overlooks professionals in under-represented regions. In dynamic labor markets, such as Latin America, there is limited evidence on how individuals build meaningful and healthy career paths over time. Guided by the sustainable careers model, this study addresses this gap by validating a Spanish version of the career sustainability scale and testing its predictive value in the Mexican context. Two studies were conducted, with cross-sectional survey data. Study 1 confirmed the scale’s four-factor structure and solid psychometric properties, via EFA/CFA, internal consistency, and measurement invariance by gender, and showed concurrent associations with job autonomy, work engagement, and intention to quit. Study 2 tested a moderated mediation model. Psychological capital mediated the effects of career sustainability on life satisfaction, psychological health, and task performance. Social isolation reduced the indirect effect only for psychological capital. These findings support a view of sustainable careers shaped by personal resources and social contexts and extend this research in Spanish-speaking settings, offering practical implications for well-being and performance in emerging labor markets.