The Five-Factor Career Adapt-Abilities Scale’s Predictive and Incremental Validity With Work-Related and Life Outcomes

Career adaptability, often measured using the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS), has been conceptualized as consisting of four factors (Concern, Control, Curiosity, and Confidence). However, recent research has produced evidence in support of the inclusion of a fifth factor, Cooperation. The following pair of studies intends to extend the aforementioned work, to examine how the CAAS-5 predicts a number of work and life-relevant outcomes. Results show that the CAAS-5 is uniquely predictive of a number of outcomes over and above theoretically related constructs in both a sample of students with work experience and working adults. Additionally, using a bifactor model, results suggest that many outcomes are best predicted by a unique subset of the CAAS-5 dimensions. The combination of such results provides evidence for the validity and utility of the CAAS-5 for career interventions, and we therefore suggest that future research on career adaptability explore the five-factor structure further.