Career shocks in the age of AI: A double-edged sword for job insecurity and career compromise

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping work structures and organizational operations. These transformations, as career shocks, have significantly altered the conditions, resources, and opportunities for career development, presenting both challenges and possibilities that influence individual career paths. These disruptions may trigger a deliberate thought process for evaluating the alignment between career aspirations and career realities, ultimately leading to decisions about career compromise. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study explores the dual impact of career shocks in the age of AI and examines how they contribute to job insecurity and career compromise. Based on data collected at two time points from 281 employees in China, we test a mediated moderation model. This study finds that positive career shocks have a significant negative effect on job insecurity and career compromise, while negative career shocks have a significant positive effect on both. Additionally, job insecurity mediates the relationship between career shocks and career compromise. Leader career support (LCS) moderates the relationship between career shocks and job insecurity, and its moderating role indirectly affects the relationship between career shocks and career compromise through job insecurity. This study contributes to the existing literature on career shocks by offering new theoretical insights into how they influence career compromise. The findings provide valuable guidance for both individuals and leaders in managing negative career shocks, leveraging positive career shocks, and minimizing career compromise.