DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/dijb.8.2.2025.195-207

From fear to action: Mediating effect of career anxiety between fear of AI replacement and upskilling intention among Indonesian undergraduates

Department of Digital Business, State University of Surabaya Jl.Ketintang No.2, Kec.Gayungan, Surabaya, Indonesia 60231, Indonesia

Open Access Copyright 2025 Diponegoro International Journal of Business under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

Citation Format:
Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified concerns about job displacement, particularly among undergraduate students preparing to enter the labor market. This study examines the effect of fear of AI replacement on upskilling intention, with career anxiety as a mediating variable. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through an online survey from 267 Indonesian undergraduate students in social sciences and humanities disciplines with prior AI experience, of which 202 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that fear of AI replacement has a positive and statistically significant effect on both upskilling intention and career anxiety. In addition, career anxiety positively and significantly influences upskilling intention and mediates the relationship between fear of AI replacement and upskilling intention. These findings indicate that fear of AI replacement acts not only as a direct motivational driver but also indirectly encourages upskilling intention through career anxiety as an adaptive psychological response. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the adaptive role of career anxiety in transforming AI-related fear into proactive upskilling intention among undergraduate students and offers practical implications for higher education institutions and policymakers in responding to AI-driven labor market change.

Note: This article has supplementary file(s).

Fulltext View|Download |  Research Instrument
Untitled
Subject
Type Research Instrument
  Download (27KB)    Indexing metadata
Email colleagues
Keywords: fear of artificial intelligence replacement; career anxiety; upskilling intention; undergraduate students; technological disruption

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Articles
Language : EN
  1. Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (2012). Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(1), 8–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0278-x
  2. Bai, S., Zhang, X., Yu, D., & Yao, J. (2024). Assist me or replace me ? Uncovering the influence of AI awareness on employees’ counterproductive work behaviors. Frontiers in Public Health, 12(October), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1449561
  3. Boo, S., Wang, C., & Kim, M. (2021). Sport & tourism education career adaptability , future time perspective, and career anxiety among undergraduate students: A cross-national comparison. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 29(6), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2021.100328
  4. Chen, C., Hu, W., & Wei, X. (2024). From anxiety to action : exploring the impact of artificial intelligence anxiety and artificial intelligence self-efficacy on motivated learning of undergraduate students. Interactive Learning Environments, 33(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2440877
  5. Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling (G. A. Marcoulides (ed.); 1st ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers
  6. Elfina, M. L., & Andriany, D. (2023). Career self-efficacy and future career anxiety on indonesian fresh graduates during pandemic. Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling, 8(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.17977/um001v8i12023p24-32
  7. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
  8. Habibie, A., Sholichatun, Y., & Rahayu, I. T. (2023). The role of life meaningfulness on the quarter-life crisis of university students in Indonesia ’ s new capital. INSPIRA: Indonesian Journal of Psychological Research, 4(2), 124–133. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32505/inspira.v4i2.6894
  9. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th Edition). Pearson Education Limited
  10. Hair, J. F., Howard, M. C., & Nitzl, C. (2020). Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis. Journal of Business Research, 109(November 2019), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.069
  11. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
  12. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  13. Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
  14. Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of Resources in the organizational context : the reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103–128. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych- 032117-104640
  15. Hootegem, A. V., De Witte, H., De Cuyper, N., & Elst, T. V. (2019). Job insecurity and the willingness to undertake training: The moderating role of perceived employability. Journal of Career Development, 46(4), 395-409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845318763893
  16. Idrus, R. M., Idris, K., Omar, Z., Anuar, M. A. M., & Ariffin, H. (2019). Organizational Citizenship behavior in malaysian higher educational institutions. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(6), 462–477. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i6/5965
  17. Ivanov, S., Kuyumdzhiev, M., & Webster, C. (2020). Technology in society automation fears : drivers and solutions. Technology in Society, 63(11), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101431
  18. Kidwai, S., Rojas-velazquez, D., Lopez-rincon, A., & Kraneveld, A. D. (2025). Keeping pace in the age of innovation : The perspective of Dutch pharmaceutical science students on the position of machine learning training in an undergraduate curriculum. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 17(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2024.102231
  19. Kim, J., Oh, J., & Rajaguru, V. (2022). Job-seeking anxiety and job preparation behavior of undergraduate students. Healthcare, 10(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/ 10.3390/healthcare10020288
  20. Kleine, A., Schmitt, A., & Wisse, B. (2021). Students’ career exploration : A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 131(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103645
  21. Liang, Y., & Zhai, Y. (2025). The impact of artificial intelligence impact awareness on college students’ employment risk perception : A moderated mediation model. Acta Psychologica, 261(2), 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105808
  22. Mallet, P., Vignoli, E., & Lallemand, N. (2025). Adolescent educational and occupational anxiety : A three ‑ dimensional model to fit into an attachment framework. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 25(3), 1005–1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-024-09676-5
  23. Muqarrama, R., Razak, A., & Hamid, H. (2022). Fenomena Kecemasan Karir pada Mahasiswa Tingkat Akhir di Era. Sultra Educational Journal (Seduj), 2(2), 28–33
  24. Myint, L. L., Akkadechanunt, T., Sirakamon, S., & Chitpakdee, B. (2023). Predictors of intent to stay among nursing faculty members: a cross-sectional study. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 27(2), 230–243
  25. No, I. Z. A. D. P., Cattaneo, M. A., Wolter, S. C., Wolter, S. C., & Gschwendt, C. (2024). How scary is the risk of automation ? evidence from a large scale survey experiment how scary is the risk of automation ? evidence from a large scale survey experiment. In Institute of Labor Economics (Issue 17097)
  26. Obradovi, V., & Kovaˇ, I. (2024). The sustainability of reskilling projects based on employees’ readiness for a career shift: Pursuing sustainable careers by transitioning into IT professions. Sustainability, 16(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ su16020709
  27. Pambudi, A. Y., Syafi, I., Kartikasari, D. W., Yarkhasy, A., & Bulqiyah, H. (2023). Pelatihan pemanfaatan teknologi ai dalam pembuatan PTK bagi Guru SDN Karangasem Kecamatan Jenu. Seminar Nasional Paedagoria, 3, 1–8
  28. Pratama, A. S., Sari, S. M., Hj, M. F., Badwi, M., & Anshori, M. I. (2023). Pengaruh artificial intelligence, big data dan otomatisasi terhadap kinerja SDM di era digital. Jurnal Publikasi Ilmu Manajemen, 2(4), 108-123. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55606/jupiman.v2i4.2739
  29. Rahman, M. F. W., Kistyanto, A., & Surjanti, J. (2022). Does cyberloafing and person‐organization fit affect employee performance? The mediating role of innovative work behavior. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 41(5), 44-64. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22159
  30. Rahman, M. F. W., Peerzadah, S. A., Durman, T. Y., & Widianto, S. (2025). Game on for innovation: a cross-country study on how eSports drive knowledge sharing and innovative behavior. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-07-2024-0430
  31. Qian, J., Chen, J., & Zhao, S. (2025). Remaining vigilant ”while“ enjoying prosperity: how artificial intelligence usage impacts employees’ innovative behavior and proactive skill development. Behavioral Science, 15(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040465
  32. Rogers, R. W. (1975). A protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change1. The Journal of Psychology, 91(1), 93-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1975.9915803
  33. Rogers, R. W. (1983). Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation. Social psychology: A source book, 153-176
  34. Santos-jaén, J. M., León-gómez, A., Martínez, M. del C. V., & Muñoz, V. L. (2025). University students’ perceptions of the impact of artificial intelligence in the business sector on their educational and professional development. Education and Information Technologies, 1-34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-025-13712-4
  35. Sekaran, U., and Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley & Sons
  36. Sohail, A., & Ahmad, B. (2025). Impact of employee perception of AI on career anxiety : the moderating role of career centrality. Indus Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3), 207–218. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.59075/ijss.v3i3.1893
  37. Vignoli, E. (2015). Career indecision and career exploration among older French adolescents : The specifi c role of general trait anxiety and future school and career anxiety. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89, 182–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.06.005
  38. Wang, Y., Wei, C., Lin, H., Wang, S., Wei, C., Lin, H., Wang, S., & Wang, Y. (2024). What drives students’ AI learning behavior: A perspective of AI anxiety. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(6), 2584-2600. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2153147
  39. Weber, S., Wyszynski, M., Godefroid, M., Plattfaut, R., & Niehaves, B. (2024). How do medical professionals make sense (or not ) of AI ? A social-media-based computational grounded theory study and an online survey. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 24, 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2024.02.009
  40. Włoch, R., Śledziewska, K., & Rożynek, S. (2025). Who's afraid of automation? Examining determinants of fear of automation in six European countries. Technology in Society, 81, 1-10
  41. Xu, Y., Bradford, N., & Garg, R. (2023). Transparency enhances positive perceptions of social artificial intelligence. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/5550418
  42. Yaşar, H., & Karagucuk, V. (2025). The effect of artificial intelligence anxiety on career decidedness among students in English ‑ related departments at universities. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 5(48), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-025-00284-y
  43. Zárate, C., Ramos, F., Christian, A., & Fraga, L. (2025). Computational model for affective processing based on cognitive sciences : An approach using deterministic finite automata's and temporal heterogeneity. Cognitive Systems Research, 90, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2025.101322
  44. Zhang, Z., Yu, X., & Liu, X. (2021). Do I decide my career ? Linking career stress , career exploration, and future work self to career planning or indecision. Frontiers in Psychology, 131, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.997984

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.