Social Media Literacy for Raising Employability in Today’s Competitive Labour Market : Meeting Stakeholders’ Expectations and Market Needs

Al-Kharusi, Ibtisam and Tight, Malcolm (2024) Social Media Literacy for Raising Employability in Today’s Competitive Labour Market : Meeting Stakeholders’ Expectations and Market Needs. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Higher education systems in different countries worldwide have undergone important changes and transformations in response to the economic structures of their respective societies, indicating that there is a need to prepare future graduates to meet the market’s demands and employers’ requirements. Thus, the importance attached to the concept of ‘employability’ has been widely explored in higher education contexts. This concern can be justified by the great demand for highly qualified workers who can contribute to the labour market by boosting innovation and productivity, particularly in the light of the profound technological advances that have affected every facet of life. In this context, a considerable amount of interdisciplinary literature highlights the role played by digital media in enhancing employability attributes. This thesis examines how social media (SM) may help business graduates become more employable. It seeks to determine how social media literacy (SML) improves job searchers' competitiveness in the contemporary cut-throat digital economy. The abilities and qualities the business sector seeks were investigated by examining job advertisements for business roles found on the Internet. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employers and business graduates to explore their views on the possible effects of SM on employment. The findings confirmed that there is indeed a link between SM and employability. The study emphasised the value of SML in developing job searchers’ employability skills (human capital) and providing them with job opportunities (social capital). Furthermore, it confirmed that social media platforms give learners opportunities for self-directed learning and support the growth of their self-efficacy and autonomy. Social media can, therefore, enhance aspects of the curriculum and establish industry partnerships to improve higher education institution (HEI) practices, bridging the gap between academic practices and industry demands and ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for future workplaces.