Enhancing employability through higher education: a bibliometric analysis
Abstract
This study aims to systematically map the evolution of research on employability within higher education by identifying publication trends, influential contributors, thematic developments and emerging research directions. It also examines how higher education institutions (HEIs) contribute to graduate employability through skill development and their alignment with labour market requirements. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using peer-reviewed publications retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection covering the period 2013–2023. Following a multi-stage screening process, 186 articles were included in the final dataset. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and Biblioshiny (R package) to examine publication trends, citation patterns, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution and influential sources within the employability research landscape. The findings reveal substantial growth in employability research over the past decade, reflecting increased global attention to aligning higher education with labour market needs. The analysis identifies key research themes, including employability skills, graduate attributes, work-integrated learning, curriculum development and career readiness. Emerging themes such as entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and career adaptability indicate a shift towards holistic graduate development. The study also highlights leading authors, journals, institutions and countries contributing to this field, while emphasising the need for curriculum reforms to strengthen graduate employability. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric overview of employability research in higher education and identifies emerging themes and knowledge gaps that have received limited attention. By synthesising a decade of scholarly evidence, it offers valuable insights for researchers, educators, HEIs and policymakers seeking to strengthen curriculum design, graduate employability and evidence-based higher education reforms.