The big five, life satisfaction, and job identity development: A longitudinal study on the school‐to‐work transition

The school‐to‐work transition presents a crucial period in young adults' identity development, during which the formation of a job identity becomes a key developmental task. However, job identity development during this transition and the individual traits that predict it remain unexplored. An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team examined job identity development among Japanese youth during their first year of employment and investigated whether the Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction during university predicted job identity after entering the workforce.

Participants included 397 young Japanese adults (79.3% women). The first survey was conducted in January 2022 (when all participants were university students), with follow‐up surveys conducted in August to September 2022 and March 2023 (when all participants were employed). The Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction were measured at Time 1, and job identity was assessed at Times 2 and 3.

A latent change score model revealed a significant decrease in the mean level of in‐depth exploration of job identity over time. Changes related to commitment, in‐depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment displayed significant variance. Extraversion positively predicted commitment level, agreeableness negatively predicted changes in in‐depth exploration, and neuroticism positively predicted reconsideration of commitment. Life satisfaction positively predicted both commitment and in‐depth exploration levels and negatively predicted change in commitment.

These findings provide insights into the individual differences that predict job identity development during the school‐to‐work transition and deepen the understanding of job identity formation during young adulthood.

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