Mapping Global Research Trends in Career AdaptabilityAnd Career Development: A Bibliometric SynthesisOf Two Decades of Scholarship
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14419/b7qrcd81Keywords:
Career Adaptability; Career Development; Bibliometric Analysis; Asia PacificAbstract
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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