Navigating careers in non-traditional work: Toward a more context-sensitive and dynamic research agenda

Non-traditional work arrangements, including freelance, gig, platform-based, and entrepreneurial work, have moved from the margins to the mainstream of contemporary labor markets. These arrangements offer flexibility, autonomy, and new opportunities for meaningful work, yet they also bring insecurity, fragmented career paths, and limited institutional support. This editorial introduction article makes the case for studying non-traditional careers. It then provides an integrative overview of the six special issue articles, which explore how individuals navigate careers in non-traditional work, addressing themes such as identity and aspiration, calling and purpose, sensemaking during career shocks, proactive coping and self‑leadership, and the role of platforms and intermediaries. Across these contributions, two themes stand out: careers in non-traditional work are deeply context-bound, shaped by institutional, technological, and social environments that both enable and constrain individual agency; and they unfold temporally, through cycles of action, feedback, and adaptation. Building on these insights, we outline a research agenda calling for more context-sensitive and dynamic approaches to studying non-traditional careers.