The impact of career shock on future work self dynamics: mapping the Covid case through Topic Modeling

Purpose: We investigate the influence of the COVID pandemic as an external career shock on how young adults imagine their future work self (FWS). Methodology: We employed Structural Topic Modeling to analyze 1352 FWS statements written by young adults entering the labor market during a nine-year period from 2015 to 2023. Results: Different cohorts of students ascribe different meanings to the dimensions of their future careers during pre-and-post-pandemic periods. The emergence of new contents within the FWS highlights how the pandemic has impacted on students' expectations also with notable differences between males and females. Limitations: The sample only considers students based in Italy. We leave open for future work the application of the proposed method to other countries and settings. Implications: The study bridges career shock and FWS literatures. We advanced research on FWS antecedents, considering the role of external shocks. Our findings are particularly relevant to HR practitioners in attracting and retaining their talented workforce in the post-COVID job market. Originality: Qualitative and quantitative shifts in expectations can be effectively captured and mapped through the proposed method, opening opportunities for future research in other settings and types of shocks affecting preferences and expectations.