Polish adaptation and validation of the sustainable career scale

The evolving global labor market highlights the significance of sustainable careers, which balance individual well-being, productivity, and social empowerment. This study aimed to adapt the Sustainable Career Scale for the Polish context, addressing the need for culturally transferable models to support evolving career paths. Understanding these cultural influences is crucial for advancing global career research. The study followed a rigorous, multi-stage process involving mixed methods. Focus group interviews were conducted to assess cultural relevance, item clarity, and face validity. The pilot study tested reliability and internal consistency using exploratory factor analysis. Study 1 utilized confirmatory factor analysis to verify the four-factor structure and evaluate measurement invariance across gender and age groups. Study 2 assessed lagged associations with well-being outcomes and test-retest reliability through longitudinal data collection. The Polish adaptation of the SCS maintained its four-factor structure (happiness, health, productivity, and social empowerment) and demonstrated high internal consistency and temporal stability, along with criterion and discriminant validity evidence and lagged associations with well-being outcomes, with some limitations for the Health dimension. The scale showed measurement invariance across gender and tested age groups. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the Polish adaptation of the SCS in the present samples, confirming the distinctiveness of its four dimensions. The findings support the applicability of the sustainable careers model in the Polish context and underscore the significance of sustainable career strategies.