The Italian version of the Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale: implications for career transitions, employability and work engagement among young professionals

Purpose – In the face of fast-paced changes and career uncertainty, emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical resource enabling young professionals to adapt to stressful working environments and to sustainably navigate career transitions. The present study aimed to (1) validate the Italian version of the Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale (REIS-IT) and (2) assess its association with perceived employability (PE) and work engagement (WE) among young professionals. Design/methodology/approach – Following a back-translation process, Study 1 evaluated the REIS's factorial structure and reliability in a sample of 385 newly graduated individuals. In Study 2, the factorial structure was further validated through Confirmatory Factor Analysis, using a sample of 523 participants. Invariance tests assessed the robustness of the REIS across different groups (i.e. employees vs. students, males vs. females). Finally, in Study 3, the REIS's factorial structure and criterion validity were tested in another sample of 385 participants. Findings – The findings confirm that the REIS-IT adheres to a four-factor structure and that EI can be reliably measured using 26 items instead of the 28 items in the original Dutch version. The invariance tests demonstrated that factor loadings were consistent across different groups, and the REIS-IT was associated with both PE and WE, establishing its criterion validity. Originality/value – The findings highlight that the REIS-IT is a robust and reliable tool for measuring EI in the Italian context across diverse samples. Additionally, the study confirmed the positive relationship between EI, PE and WE, reinforcing the role of EI as a key resource for young professionals navigating career transitions.