Abstract
With rising employment pressure on preservice teachers in the context of negative population growth and higher education expansion in the world, which have jointly reduced the demand for teachers while increasing the supply of graduates, the digital era offers new opportunities to enhance their employability. This study proposes a moderated mediation model to explore how career planning influences perceived employability, using a sample of 650 respondents. Results show that career planning positively predicts perceived employability, with job search clarity serving as a mediator. Digital literacy significantly moderates this mediation effect. Preservice teachers with higher digital literacy benefit more from career clarity in enhancing perceived employability. These findings suggest that strengthening digital literacy and clarifying career goals are key strategies to improve employability among preservice teachers.