Developmental proactivity and professional ability as older workers' employability resources. A longitudinal study explaining career events

Abstract

This four-year longitudinal study examines how two facets of employability-professional ability and developmental proactivity-are linked to career events among workers ages 45 years and older. We construe employability as a personal resource that predicts a higher likelihood of experiencing positive career events and a lower likelihood of experiencing negative ones. Results reveal that developmental proactivity leads to a higher probability of internal promotion, while professional ability leads to a lower probability of salary loss, demotion, and unemployment. The findings indicate that these two facets of employability can offer critical insights for understanding the career events of older workers.

Keywords

• employability
• personal resources
• career resources
• longitudinal design
• older workers