Employability – the ability to obtain, retain or create work by making the most of one’s skills – is constantly evolving throughout a person’s working life. This thesis examines which factors contribute to employability, how employability relates to work-related outcomes, and what role contextual factors play in this. Four studies examine how 21st-century skills, the use of social media for professional development, the facilitation of a learning environment and the learning value of work are related to employability. In addition, the research investigates how employability relates to turnover intention and subjective career success. It also examines the role of motivation, destructive leadership and future career prospects. The studies were conducted in various educational, organisational and cultural contexts and utilise longitudinal, cross-national and mixed-method research approaches. Taken together, the studies demonstrate that employability is a dynamic process in which individual capabilities, learning opportunities, organisational environments and broader contextual factors all play a role. The findings offer insights for employability research, higher education and professional HR practice.
Omar Habets is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Employability Research Group at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. His work combines research, teaching and curriculum development, with a particular focus on employability, human resource management, lifelong development, leadership and the changing world of work. He is also involved in curriculum development and quality assurance within higher education and at Zuyd’s Knowledge Centre for Future-Proof Business. He is also a member of Zuyd’s Research Ethics Committee and is affiliated as a researcher with NEIMED, where he contributes to research into socio-economic developments and broad well-being. He carried out his doctoral research at the Institute for Management Research at Radboud University, focusing on the determinants, outcomes and contextual factors of employability.