Enhancing Graduate Employability through Innovative Technology and E-Commerce for Economic Development of Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines the part of innovative technology and e-commerce in enhancing graduate employability leading to economic development in emerging economies. the study addressed the persistent disparity between graduates’ skills and industry demands. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, with a purposive sample 100 of graduates exposed to digital technologies and e-commerce in Plateau. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire which were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed among others that, digital technologies significantly improve graduates’ problem-solving skills, flexibility, confidence, and global employability. E-commerce engagement demonstrates a strong positive influence on employment and self-employment opportunities, promoting entrepreneurship, income generation. However, infrastructural deficiencies, financial constraints, poor digital literacy, and other barriers limit the influence. Regression analysis confirmed a statistically significant positive effect of innovative technology (β = 0.972, p < 0.05) and e-commerce engagement (β = 0.353, p < 0.05) on graduate employability, leading to the rejection of the null hypotheses. The study concludes that integrating innovative technology and e-commerce into higher education curricula significantly enhances graduate employability and economic empowerment. It recommends strengthened digital curriculum integration, industry collaboration, continuous digital skills training, improved infrastructure, and targeted policy funding to bridge implementation gaps and align graduate competencies with labour market demands.