How Stable Is Occupational Future Time Perspective Over Time? A Six-Wave Study Across 4 Years

The occupational future time perspective (OFTP) reflects people’s perceptions of their remaining time and opportunities in their future working lives. The aim of this study was 2-fold. First, we determined the extent to which people’s OFTP decreased over time. Second, we explored whether the rate of decrease in OFTP depended on age. We conducted a longitudinal study and measured OFTP (using the subscales of remaining time and remaining opportunities) 6 times over 4 years. Multilevel analyses revealed that people perceived losses of remaining occupational time and remaining occupational opportunities over time. We did not observe that the decrease in perceived remaining opportunities depended on age. However, age moderated the decrease in perceived remaining time over time such that younger people felt that their remaining time decreased faster than did older people. The theoretical and practical implications of the stability of OFTP over time are discussed.