Key Determinants of Career Adaptability among Business Education Alumni in the Industry 5.0 Era: The Moderating Role of Career Resilience
Danny Ajar Baskoro(a*), Novita Indah Hasibuan(b), Rossy Pratiwiy Sihombing(c),Richna Handriyani(d)

a,b,d) Pendidikan Bisnis, Fakultas Ekonomi, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, Indonesia
E-mail: ajarbaskoro[at]unimed.ac.id
c) Kewirausahaan, Fakultas Ekonomi, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, Indonesia

Abstract

This study investigates the career adaptability of business education alumni in the Industrial Revolution 5.0 Era, focusing on the roles of digital competence, learning agility, professional collaboration, and educational relevance, along with the moderation of career resilience. The Industrial Revolution 5.0 Era demands individuals who are not only technologically adaptive but also human-centric and emotionally robust. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the direct influence of these factors on career adaptability and to examine how career resilience moderates these relationships. This study employs a quantitative approach, disseminating questionnaires to 127 business education alumni. Data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method with SmartPLS. The findings indicate that digital competence, learning agility, professional collaboration, and educational relevance significantly and positively influence career adaptability. Furthermore, career resilience also demonstrates a strong, positive, and significant direct influence as a predictor of career adaptability. However, another key finding is that career resilience was not found to significantly moderate the relationship between the independent variables and career adaptability. This suggests that the influence of these factors on career adaptability tends to be stable, regardless of the alumni^s level of career resilience. The practical implications of this research underscore the importance of strengthening digital competence, learning agility, professional collaboration, and enhancing the relevance of business education curricula. Educational institutions and policymakers are expected to develop programs that focus on mastering these core skills, as well as building individual resilience (career resilience) as a strong foundation for adaptation.

Keywords: Career Adaptability, Digital Competence, Learning Agility, Professional Collaboration, Educational Relevance, Career Resilience,

Topic: Management and Educational Technology Innovation