A scoping review on graduate employability in an era of ‘Technological Unemployment’

ABSTRACT

This scoping review maps key studies on the impact of technological advancement on higher education students’ employability. Through the analysis of 29 studies on university graduates’ study-to-work transition in the context of the latest technological development, key results underline the changing nature of jobs and suggest that the impact of technological unemployment depends on the occupations and tasks examined. The study calls for universities to reinterpret employability in the era of uncertainty but also discusses higher education and system policy interventions to prepare for the technological disruption in the labour market transition. Policy recommendations suggest defining clearer scopes (e.g., automation or AI) when evaluating the impact of technological advancement in the higher education research context and reducing the knowledge gaps for skills and mindsets necessary for future graduates.

KEYWORDS:

• Technological unemployment
• employability
• university graduates
• automation
• fourth industrial revolution

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Society for Research into Higher Education [Scoping Awards in 2021].