Vocational Designing 5.0: Redefining Vocational Psychology Through a Social Justice Lens

Contemporary ecological, social, economic, and technological changes are reshaping the world of work and the ways people build their careers and lives. These changes create important challenges for vocational psychology, particularly for individuals whose opportunities are constrained by social and economic conditions. Although vocational psychology has increasingly embraced social justice, we argue that the field needs to go further by helping people understand the systems that shape their lives and imagine alternative futures.We propose Vocational Designing 5.0, a framework that brings together critical consciousness, multiple ways of understanding social justice, attention to complex systems, and the active exploration of alternative futures. We describe how this framework extends life design and socially just approaches to career development and present preliminary qualitative, quantitative, and training initiatives that illustrate its potential applications. We conclude with implications for vocational research, educating career counselors, and career practice.