A BIBLIOMETRIC EXPLORATION ON LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES OF ADULT EDUCATION

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the academic literature on adult education, post-school investment, and their labor market outcomes. Drawing on data from 541 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Scopus between 1986 and 2025, the analysis maps the evolution of scholarly activity, influential authors, leading countries, leading journals, country collaborations, and thematic clusters in the field. Results show a consistent upward trend in publication activity, with particularly rapid growth after 2012, reflecting rising interest in the role of lifelong learning and adult education in labor market outcomes. The most prominent keywords include labor market, employment, training, and returns to education, while recent trends highlight the emergence of themes related to Covid-19, working conditions, and experimental study. Country-level analyses reveal that the United States is the dominant contributor, collaborating primarily with Central European countries, while smaller countries such as Denmark, Turkey, and Switzerland achieve high average citations per article. The findings underscore persistent research inequalities and highlight opportunities for greater international collaboration and thematic expansion. This paper contributes to the meta-knowledge of adult education by identifying the most influential journals, dominant paradigms, and potential collaborations to guide future research agendas and policy discussions on adult education and labor market outcomes.