Protean Career Orientation and Industry 5.0: A Bibliometric Mapping of an Emerging Research Interface

This study aims to map the intellectual structure and thematic evolution linking protean career orientation (PCO) with the human-centric vision of Industry 5.0, highlighting intersections between career adaptability, self-directed career models, and human–machine collaboration. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar as the primary databases. The study applied performance analysis and science mapping techniques through RSstudio and VOSviewer to examine publication trends, trending topics, influential authors, thematic analysis, and co-citation analysis of secondary documents. The search strategy combined targeted keywords for PCO, career adaptability, and Industry 5.0 to capture relevant literature from 2012 to 2025. The observed trajectory suggests the protean career research concerning Industry 5.0 is both consolidating and diversifying. It results in four different themes in the last two decades that include Boundaryless career and Career theory foundations; Protean career orientation and Measurement; Self-efficacy and Social Cognitive Career Theory; and Career Competencies and Employability, concerning Industry 5.0. The steep rise in articles after 2020 may be linked to the pandemic’s impact on career paths, remote work, and self-management trends. Study signals that the field has evolved from the challenges of defining and measuring basic conceptual constructs into addressing the timely issues of fast and dynamic labour markets, which can provide fertile grounds for interdisciplinary collaboration and future theory-building. While PCO has been extensively studied in relation to career self-management and adaptability, its integration with Industry 5.0 remains underexplored. This study is the first to employ bibliometric mapping to systematically bridge these domains, offering a comprehensive overview of their conceptual convergence. The results are expected to identify under examined themes, inform theoretical development, and guide future research toward embedding protean career principles in human-centred industrial transformations.