Perceived Employability Under Digital Transformation: A Multilevel Systematic Review of Antecedents and Contextual Influences
TL;DR
A systematic literature review was conducted to provide a clearer understanding of the multilevel antecedents of perceived employability in the digital era and provides an integrative foundation for future research while offering practical insights for organizations, universities, and policymakers seeking to strengthen employability in an increasingly digitalized labor market.
Abstract
Digital transformation, together with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasing instability of the labor market, continues to have a significant influence on the way jobs are structured and has created greater uncertainty about long-term career sustainability. In this constantly changing environment, perceived employability (PE) has come to play a crucial role, as it represents how individuals perceive their capacity to secure and maintain employment, as well as the opportunities available to them in the job market. It also reflects expectations about future career prospects, including whether suitable opportunities exist in relation to their qualifications. However, a notable gap still exists in current theories explaining how PE is formed, particularly regarding how rapid technological change reshapes its core components and frame of reference. To address this gap, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to provide a clearer understanding of the multilevel antecedents of perceived employability in the digital era. Following the PRISMA Guidelines, 106 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2005 and 2025 were analyzed. The findings demonstrated that perceived employability is shaped by a complex and interrelated set of antecedents operating at the individual, organizational, and external levels. At the individual level, key antecedents included career attitudes, psychological resources, competencies, and learning experiences. At the organizational level, important factors involved career management practices, access to training and development, job characteristics, and workplace support systems. External antecedents included labor market dynamics, broader socioeconomic conditions, and institutional reputation. Across these levels, digital transformation functioned as a cross-cutting contextual force shaping how these antecedents interact and evolve through digital skills, digital literacy, attitudes toward technology, and technology-related stress. Overall, this review provides an integrative foundation for future research while offering practical insights for organizations, universities, and policymakers seeking to strengthen employability in an increasingly digitalized labor market.