Abstract

The article reviews the existing scientific literature on employability, establishing some trends in the objectives developed by various authors from multiple disciplines (history of the concept, development of theoretical perspectives, analysis, and measurement of employability factors) in which the need to adopt a systemic and integrative approach to employability becomes evident. Based on this review, the author proposes to elaborate an epistemological proposal of employability based on the systemic position of Mario Bunge, the complex thinking of Edgar Morin, and the interactive perspective of employability of Ronald McQuaid and Colin Lindsay, to contribute to the academic debate on the subject from a systemic viewpoint. In this proposal, employability is approached as a multidimensional, interactive, and complex construct, which refers to people's relative capacity to enter, remain, and progress at work to promote the realization of their aspirations, which emerges from the interaction between people and their individual factors, their personal circumstances, and external factors. From this point of view, the State, in alliance with the productive sector, should generate the contextual and institutional conditions to address the structural inequalities of the labor markets, especially with vulnerable groups. In addition, the main challenge for the individuals is the attitude with which they will face the challenges to successfully manage their career, as well as the labor transitions that will occur along the way.

Key words: employability; systemic thinking; complexity