Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reveal that artificial intelligence anxiety mediates job-seeking stress and affects career self-efficacy and that the pattern varies depending on the level of planned happenstances skills. Accordingly, by examining the relationship between artificial intelligence anxiety and job-seeking stress and career self-efficacy, it was confirmed whether there is a mediating effect of employment stress in the relationship between artificial intelligence anxiety and career self-efficacy. And the moderating effect of the planned happenstances skills was confirmed in the relationship between job-seeking stress and career self-efficacy, and finally, the moderated mediating effect of the planned happenstances skills was verified in the relationship between artificial intelligence anxiety, job-seeking stress, and career self-efficacy. To this end, data were collected from 357 domestic university students through a domestic Internet survey company. SPSS 26 was used for data analysis, and as a result of the study, it was verified that job-seeking stress significantly mediated the relationship between artificial intelligence anxiety and career self-efficacy and had a complete mediating effect. Subsequently, both the moderating effect and the moderatied mediating effect of the planned accidental skill were significant, and the pattern was that the negative effect of job-seeking stress on career self-efficacy was alleviated when the planned accidental skill was high, but the slope of the negative effect of job-seeking stress on career self-efficacy was steeper when the planned happenstances skill was low. Finally, practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research in this study were discussed.