Exploring the Employability Landscape through Bibliometric Analysis (1980-2025)

Abstract

The concept of employability has evolved into a multifaceted and increasingly vital issue arising from the interplay between structural labour market changes, educational institutions, and individual skills. The subject remains divided, particularly in economics, where no thorough synthesis has been provided, and the topic is relatively neglected in scholarly debate. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis using the Biblioshiny interface in RStudio, focusing on articles indexed in the Web of Science database from 1980 to 2025. The aim is to map employability research's intellectual structure and thematic development within the economic journals. The analysis reveals steady growth in scholarly output, an expanding thematic focus, and a noticeable shift toward interdisciplinary perspectives that connect economics with education, psychology, and public policy. The paper’s primary contributions include identifying key sources and authors, developing core concepts, and recognising new underexplored themes such as digital skills and entrepreneurial readiness. This study provides a systematic overview, thus offering a valuable foundation for future research and contributing to a more integrated understanding of employability within and beyond economics. The research provides a systematic overview that serves as a valuable starting point for further studies and deepens the overall understanding of employability in economics and other domains. UDC: 331.5:001.891; JEL: J24, I26