Is What’s Past Prologue? A Review and Agenda for Contemporary Employability Research

Abstract

Employability, which is commonly conceptualized as one’s ability to realize job opportunities within and between employers over time, has attracted considerable attention from diverse academic disciplines for decades. Research in these disciplines has largely evolved independent of other fields, thus limiting the accumulation, validation, advancement, and utility of employability. Two central stakeholders in much of this research are employers and employees, yet the vast majority of studies since the year 2000 have failed to explicitly consider this interdependence, instead being characterized by an overwhelming emphasis on the employee and individual agency. Conversely, the comparatively limited research examining the employer perspective has often excluded consideration of the employee. Our review highlights these characteristics, along with outlining other common critical issues and recommendations for overcoming them. We also articulate how social exchange theory can serve as an underlying mechanism to integrate research within and between disciplines, and we present the strategic employability architecture framework based on strategic human resource management to facilitate integration of employer and employee perspectives.