The influence of emotional intelligence on graduate employability: Using university-industry linkages as a moderator

In the context of the global expansion of higher education institutions, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of graduates, predictably resulting in a rising unemployment rate. Graduate employability, which is crucial for securing employment, is considered to be significantly affected by emotional intelligence. Despite growing evidence that collaborations between universities and industries can enhance graduate employability, little is known about whether such linkages serve as a moderating mechanism in the relationship between emotional intelligence and employability, representing a critical gap in current scholarship. Therefore, this study explicitly addresses this gap by examining both the direct effect of emotional intelligence on graduate employability and the potential moderating role of university-industry linkages. A final total of 380 unemployed graduates from seven randomly selected higher education institutions in Chongqing, China, were surveyed, and the results were analyzed by SPSS 29.0. The findings revealed that emotional intelligence has a significant influence on the employability of graduates and that university-industry linkages do not have a moderating effect on this path. This research is expected to contribute valuable insights into the factors that determine graduate employability and to clarify the theoretical positioning of university-industry linkages within this relationship.