Career success and geographical location: a systematic review and future research agenda

Abstract

Geographical location sets the broad scene for people's access to knowledge and resources that are critical for career progression. Acknowledging the importance of location and following calls for a contextualized approach to career studies, an increasing body of literature on career success has incorporated geographical considerations over the past decades. However, this literature remains fragmented across disciplines, and a comprehensive understanding of how location influences individual success is lacking. This gap limits researchers’ ability to explain, predict and interpret the role of geographical location in career success. This gap also impedes a clear understanding of multi-level influences that shape career outcomes, as location is a critical aspect of the macro context. We conducted a systematic review of 99 empirical studies published from 1970 to 2024, using a multi-disciplinary, multi-method and multi-faceted approach. We developed an integrative model that illuminates how factors embedded in geographical context affect multiple aspects of career success through imprinting, (de)mobilizing and contingency mechanisms. Our review advances knowledge of career success from proximal to distal contexts and offers a shifting perspective of city and national career actors. In addition, it extends several streams of theory and scholarship by revealing the cross-level effects on individual outcomes. We propose a future research agenda and provide suggestions for general career actors, companies and policymakers.

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