Purpose: This study aims to conduct an overview of previous studies on job satisfaction, particularly its determinants and outcomes, and the research objectives, main themes and years of publication of previous studies. This study also seeks to analyze research trends on job satisfaction in the field of hospitality and tourism. Design/methodology/approach: The top hospitality and tourism journals were reviewed, and relevant papers were searched using the keyword “job satisfaction.” Content analysis was performed to identify the research objectives, main themes, influencing factors, outcomes and journals. Findings: A total of 143 refereed journal papers were collected, of which 128 papers explored the influencing factors of job satisfaction, and 53 papers aimed to investigate outcomes. The predictors of job satisfaction were further classified into four groups, namely, organizational, individual, social and family and psychological factors. Research limitations/implications: This study conducted a literature review on job satisfaction by using content analysis. A relatively comprehensive review of job satisfaction is provided. However, this preliminary study still has considerable room for improvement given the extensive studies on job satisfaction. Future studies may perform meta-analysis and attempt to find new values of job satisfaction. Practical implications: Findings may shed light on practical management. From the individual perspective, education, interest and skills were found to be related to job satisfaction. Thus, managers should provide their employees with opportunities to train and update their skills. From the organizational perspective, organizational support and culture contributed positively to job satisfaction. This perspective highlighted the importance of effective management activities and policies. From the social and family perspective, family–work supportive policies must be implemented to enhance job satisfaction. From the psychological perspective, psychological issues were found to be closely related to job satisfaction. Thus, the employees’ stress should be reduced to ensure that they perform their jobs well. Social implications: This study analyzed the determinants and outcomes of job satisfaction and highlighted the importance of enhancing job satisfaction from different perspectives. The interest of employees should be enhanced, their family–work conflict should be reduced and their psychological issues should be addressed to stimulate their enthusiasm. As job satisfaction contributes positively to organizational commitment and intention to stay, managers should conduct a series of organizational supportive activities to enhance job satisfaction, which will retain qualified employees. Originality/value: This study conducted extensive research on job satisfaction and drew a systematic picture of job satisfaction on the basis of its determinants and outcomes, research objectives, main themes and journals. All findings were comprehensive and combined to contribute to the literature and serve as a foundation for further study.

This paper is about the position of workforce and employment considerations within the sustainable tourism narrative. The paper aims to address the relative neglect of this area within the discourse of sustainable tourism and highlights references to the workforce within the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The discussion follows the emerging field of sustainable human resource management and the contribution that this can make to meeting both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to enhancing the recognition of workforce and employment issues within the related debate in tourism. The body of the paper highlights examples of key dimensions of work and employment across varied tourism contexts, where sustainability is of increasing consequence and significance. The paper concludes by drawing together the implications of these “mini-cases” and locating them within key principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the influence of psychological empowerment on the career competencies of Generation Y employees and the relationship between empowerment and career satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: Generation Y working in the hospitality industry comprised the target population of this study. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, and 458 valid questionnaires were obtained. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and to test the causal relationships among the constructs.Findings: Psychological empowerment was positively related to career competencies and career satisfaction. Moreover, the four dimensions of psychological empowerment, namely, impact, competence, self-determination and meaning, also contributed positively to the career competencies and satisfaction of Generation Y. Findings indicated that empowerment was an important predictor of career management among young employees.Research limitations/implications: The limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling method, with participants selected according to their accessibility. Future studies should collect a reasonably broad sample by using probability sampling methods.Practical implications: The findings of this study provided useful guidance to manage and empower Generation Y employees. First, the importance of psychological empowerment to enhance the career competencies and satisfaction of young employees was proved. Second, this study provided detailed information on how to empower Generation Y employees. Third, this study may help to retain qualified employees by empowering and supporting their career development.Social implications: This study highlighted the importance of empowerment in managing Generation Y employees. Once Generation Y employees are trusted and empowered, they tend to perform well in both their job and career. Findings indicated that the four factors of psychological empowerment had different contributions to careers of the employees. Results suggest that managers should attempt to assign challenging and meaningful tasks to young employees and to increase their responsibility and impact in the organization. To attract and retain qualified young employees, career competences should be enhanced to achieve a level of career satisfaction.Originality/value: This study presented new findings on Generation Y and the outcomes of psychological empowerment. Initial evidence on the contribution of empowerment to the career issues of the new generation was proved. The findings outlined detailed information on psychological empowerment by exploring the function of its four factors. The results may serve as a foundation for future research on empowerment and career issues of Generation Y.

This study explores the link between organizational career management (OCM) and organizational identity in relation to the mediating effect of career expectation. Data were collected from 476 Generation Y hotel employees and was analyzed using Amos software of structural equation modeling (SEM). Study results suggest organizational career management is a positive predictor of career expectation, and career expectation positively affects organizational identity and career satisfaction. Furthermore, career expectation is a mediator between career management and organizational identity.