Taking the temperature of employability research: a systematic review of interrelationships across and within conceptual strands

Abstract

Employability concerns an individual’s potential in the labour market. This potential has been interpreted along three strands: (I) in terms of personal strengths that increase employment potential; (II) in terms of self-perceived employment opportunities; and (III) in terms of job transitions as a realization of employment potential. The risk of using different approaches is fragmentation of the research field. In response, we aim to study the extent to which fragmentation is an issue and the potential for integration both across and within strands. We achieve this aim through a systematic review of 71 empirical studies on employees’ employability that reports on the interrelationships across and within strands and instruments used within strands. Our review shows that the different strands are connected, yet evidence mostly comes from cross-sectional studies. In addition, relationships within strands are typically stronger than across strands. However, there are many different instruments used, and this is a key barrier for integration.