When AI threatens my future career: growth mindset and perceived employability in Chinese college students' career decision making anxiety

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the labor market and may intensify college students' uncertainty and anxiety about future career decisions. This study examined the psychological mechanism linking AI employment threat perception to career decision-making anxiety, focusing on the mediating role of perceived employability and the moderating role of growth mindset. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 526 college students in China. Hierarchical regression, bootstrap mediation analysis, moderation analysis, simple slope analysis, and moderated mediation analysis were used to test the proposed model. Results AI employment threat perception positively predicted career decision-making anxiety and negatively predicted perceived employability. Perceived employability negatively predicted career decision-making anxiety and partially mediated the relationship between AI employment threat perception and career decision-making anxiety. Growth mindset significantly moderated the relationship between AI employment threat perception and perceived employability, such that the negative effect was weaker among students with a higher growth mindset. The moderated mediation analysis further showed that growth mindset weakened the indirect effect of AI employment threat perception on career decision-making anxiety through perceived employability. Conclusions AI employment threat may increase college students' career decision-making anxiety both directly and indirectly by reducing perceived employability. Growth mindset serves as an important psychological resource that buffers this negative process. These findings provide implications for career education, employability development, and psychological support in higher education.