The sustainable career scale (SCS): development, validity, reliability and invariance

Purpose The concept of a “sustainable career” has gained significant attention in recent academic literature, extending beyond mere professional success, encompassing elements of happiness, health, productivity and social empowerment. This study aims to develop and validate the sustainable career scale (SCS) to measure this multidimensional construct, including the innovative dimension of “social empowerment,” which emphasizes the importance of responsibly addressing global needs and challenges. Design/methodology/approach The research comprises five studies with distinct objectives: Study 1 focuses on item development and latent structure verification; Study 2 confirms the factorial structure; Study 3 assesses concurrent and discriminant validity; Study 4 examines predictive validity and reliability; and Study 5 measures gender invariance. Findings Results demonstrate the validity and reliability of the SCS items and structure. Concurrent and discriminant validity are supported by analyzing relationships with work engagement, meaning, employability, burnout, decent work and job satisfaction. Additionally, the scale shows reliability and predictive validity in forecasting eudaimonic, hedonic and social well-being. Gender invariance is confirmed. Research limitations/implications Future research could explore its applicability across diverse contexts. The SCS has significant implications for researchers and practitioners, serving as an assessment tool to advance research in sustainable career development and guide interventions to improve careers that address global needs and foster responsible management practices. Originality/value The SCS stands out as the first measure to integrate a truly sustainable perspective, encompassing societal and global contexts within the framework of career sustainability. The findings enhance the understanding of sustainable careers and demonstrate the empirical robustness of the SCS.