An exploration of global employability skills: A systematic research review

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and categorise, through a systematic research review, the key employability skills identified by researchers across the globe. This paper also aims to identify any similarities and differences present in employability skills demand of different sectors of industry or parts of the world. For the purpose of this study, 43 studies conducted across 17 countries were included and a systematic research review protocol was applied to develop categories. A vote-counting technique was used for the purpose of data analysis. The results revealed a set of employability skills commonly reported worldwide as important by all studies included in the review. These skills were further re-grouped under ten different skill sets. The findings of this study point to several implications for educators, employers, graduates and policy makers.