Do positive psychological capabilities, self-directed learning, and adaptability influence hospitality employability readiness among Thai elderly?

As Thailand becomes an aging society, older adults represent an important potential workforce for the tourism and hospitality industry. However, limited research has explained how positive psychological capabilities, self-directed learning skills, and adaptability skills jointly shape hospitality employability readiness among older adults in Thailand’s service sector. Grounded in Career Construction Theory, this study conceptualizes hospitality employability readiness as the final outcome of a sequential career-readiness process in which positive psychological capabilities function as personal resources, self-directed learning skills operate as a learning mechanism, and adaptability skills serve as adaptive capability. Quantitative data were collected from 447 Thai respondents aged 55 years and above across six regions and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t -tests, F-tests, and PLS-SEM. The results show that positive psychological capabilities significantly enhanced self-directed learning skills, adaptability skills, and hospitality employability readiness. Self-directed learning skills also significantly influenced adaptability skills and hospitality employability readiness, while adaptability skills emerged as the strongest direct predictor of hospitality employability readiness. The indirect and serial mediation results further confirmed that positive psychological capabilities contribute to hospitality employability readiness through self-directed learning skills and adaptability skills. The study contributes to Career Construction Theory by explaining hospitality employability readiness as a sequential career-readiness process in which personal psychological resources are translated into employability readiness through self-directed learning and adaptability. Practically, the findings provide insights for designing integrated training programs, age-friendly workplace support, and policy strategies to promote the sustainable inclusion of older adults in Thailand’s tourism and hospitality workforce. The study refines the application of Career Construction Theory by showing how psychological resources enhance older adults’ hospitality employability readiness through self-directed learning and adaptability. Practically, the findings support integrated training, age-friendly workplaces, and policies promoting older adults’ sustainable workforce participation.