Resumo: The promotion of decent work plays a central role in the transformation of tourism into a sustainable activity. The literature on this topic has multiplied, but it is imperative to pay more attention to workers in the potentially most vulnerable sectors, such as those without employment contracts and without formal higher education. The aim of this study on independent workers in tourism is to investigate how they perceive their work as decent and to analyze their quality of life. In addition, the study aims to analyze the mediating effect of career adaptability on the relationship between decent work and quality of life. The sample consists of 228 tourism workers in Portugal, mainly women, aged between 19 and 71 years. The results support the hypothesis that decent work can improve the quality of life of workers in the tourism industry. They also show that decent work is associated with a greater likelihood that workers are able and feel confident to adapt to changing tasks, to engage in continuous training and to manage their careers, which has a positive impact on their quality of life. The importance of prioritizing decent work and psychosocial resources to cope with the changing working and working conditions of the independent workers in the tourism sector in Portugal is discussed.
