This presentation examines the impact of financial stress at the time of graduation on the efficacy of career competencies for enhancing university graduates' sustainable career outcomes. Sustainable careers theory (De Vos et al., 2020) and the psychological framework of scarcity (Mullainathan & Shafir, 2013) were used in developing a conceptual model. The analyses are informed by two-wave data (at the time of graduation and one and a half years after graduation) from the 2020-cohort of graduates in the UK, i.e., 'the COVID cohort). Findings show that career competencies are significantly associated with sustainable career outcomes (H1), and that person-career fit plays a pivotal role in this relationship, particularly for life satisfaction (H2). Moreover, high financial stress at the time of graduation amplifies the positive impact of career competencies on life satisfaction (happiness) via career fit (H3).


We found no evidence of an attenuating effect of high financial stress. The findings suggest that career competencies may have a stronger compensatory role for achieving career sustainability for those who experienced financial stress, in comparison to those who did not. Our discussion focuses on the implications these findings for understanding the critical contingency role financial stress plays on individuals' experience of careers, in particular their opportunities for a sustainable start to careers. The discussion also acknowledges the contributions of this research for understanding financial stress in early careers. We conclude with consideration of practical implications, study limitations and considerations for future research. Notably, findings show individual and societal value of investment in career resources, particularly for those who may not have strong financial safety-nets.