The expression career entrenchment means the worker's immobilization in a determined occupational position as a result of his/her perception of lack of career alternatives, avoidance of lost of investments and emotional costs associated with occupational changes. The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Career Entrenchment Scale were investigated. A sample of 668 workers, 415 men and 253 women, ages ranging between 25 e 65 years old, employed in public, private ant third sector organizations, answered the scale. Differences of entrenchment were not associated with type of work organization. Factorial analysis found three factors according with the dimensions proposed for the construct: career investments, emotional costs and lack of career alternatives. Internal consistence indicators were satisfactory both for the total scale and each entrenchment dimensions, revealing that all items contribute for higher scale reliability. The analysis showed satisfactory construct validity and reliability aspects for the Brazilian version of the Career Entrenchment Scale.
Professional choice; Work; Psychometrics
