Factors influencing career sustainability in Saudi Arabian banks: A PLS-SEM analysis

This research delves into the correlation between organizational career growth and its impact on career sustainability among employees in the Saudi Arabian banking sector. It also explores the mediating influence of task performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Utilizing self-reported online questionnaires, data was collected from employees in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working in both private and public banks. Approximately 255 surveys were gathered, and thorough scrutiny of the data was conducted to identify any instances of common bias, duplication, or missing values. Following this data cleaning process, a sample size of 200 was retained for subsequent analysis. The survey, conducted over a month from December 2022 to January 2023, targeted four key factors: organizational career growth (OCG), organizational citizenship behavior, task performance, and career sustainability. The study utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and path analysis, a combination that allows observed variables to represent latent variables while elucidating causal relationships between them. The findings showed that organizational career growth has a positive and significant influence on organizational citizenship behavior, task performance, and career sustainability. The SRMR value of 0.078 indicates a good fit between the observed data and the model; while the normed fit index (NFI) score of 0.957 shows that the model fits the data well. In addition, the study utilized the blindfolding technique to evaluate the model’s predictive validity. The results show that organizational career growth exerts a moderate effect on both task performance (Q2 = 0.218, Q2 = medium effect) and career sustainability (Q2 = 0.281, Q2 = medium effect) and has a limited impact on organizational citizenship behavior (Q2 = 0.136, Q2 = small effect). Expanded career opportunities within the organization led to better task performance and organizational citizenship behavior, indirectly boosting employees’ career sustainability in banking sector. Detailed managerial insights are also provided.