Global Research Trends on Higher Education and Employability
A Bibliometric Analysis from 2014 to 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6086Keywords:
Bibliometric Analysis, Curriculum Relevance, Educational Policy, Employability, Higher EducationAbstract
This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global scientific production related to higher education and employability between 2014 and 2025. Using the Bibliometrix package in R and data extracted from the Scopus database, 3,376 documents authored by 8,548 researchers from over 80 countries. The annual growth rate of publications was 16.89%, reflecting increasing scholarly interest in aligning academic training with labor market demands. Key findings indicate that the most productive countries include the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, with significant international collaboration networks. Leading journals such as Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning and Sustainability concentrate the largest number of publications. Keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals central themes such as higher education, employability, students, and curriculum, while thematic mapping shows that higher education and employability are consolidated as basic and highly relevant themes. Additionally, trend topic analysis identifies a recent rise in interest around artificial intelligence, engineering education, and soft skills. Despite the growing number of publications, citation rates have shown a slight decline in recent years, indicating a possible saturation or diversification of the field. This research highlights the evolving academic landscape surrounding graduate employability and provides insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers seeking to bridge the gap between academia and the labor market.
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