Mapping Global Research Trends in Career AdaptabilityAnd Career Development: A Bibliometric SynthesisOf Two Decades ‎of Scholarship

  • Authors

    • Logeswran Ramasamy Department of Professional Development and Extension Education,‎ Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia
    • Mageswari Kunasegaran Department of Professional Development and Extension Education,‎ Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia
    • Shamuni Kunjiapu Asia-Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Business Studies Department, New Era University College,‎ ‎43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
    https://doi.org/10.14419/b7qrcd81

    Received date: December 29, 2025

    Accepted date: January 26, 2026

    Published date: February 7, 2026

  • Career Adaptability; Career Development; Bibliometric Analysis; Asia Pacific

  • Abstract

    This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends in career adaptability and career development over the ‎last twenty years. Using peer-reviewed publications indexed in major academic databases, the analysis maps the field's intellectual structure, ‎thematic changes, and geographic distribution. Using performance analysis and science-mapping techniques, the study identifies influential ‎authors, institutions, and journals, as well as the most-cited theories and frameworks. The results show that Western scholars primarily ‎shape the global conversation, while contributions from the Asia–Pacific region remain relatively limited, despite the region’s diverse and ‎rapidly changing labor markets. The thematic evolution reveals a shift from fundamental career development theories to current focuses on ‎employability, resilience, and adaptability, driven by technological advances and economic instability. It also highlights emerging research ‎clusters in proactive career behaviors, psychological resources, and lifelong learning. This review highlights the importance of fostering ‎increased cross-cultural and cross-regional collaboration to enhance both theoretical inclusivity and practical relevance. In the Asia-Pacific ‎region, the findings suggest opportunities to adapt career models to align with collectivist values, family influences, and specific labor-‎market conditions. The study enriches the literature by offering a data-driven overview of the field’s development, uncovering knowledge ‎gaps, and suggesting future research paths to create more inclusive, culturally relevant, and globally applicable frameworks for career adapt-‎ability and development‎.

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    Ramasamy , L. ., Kunasegaran , M. ., & Kunjiapu , S. . (2026). Mapping Global Research Trends in Career AdaptabilityAnd Career Development: A Bibliometric SynthesisOf Two Decades ‎of Scholarship. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 13(1), 696-705. https://doi.org/10.14419/b7qrcd81