Virtual Booth

Abstract

MeriTrace is a Workforce Competency Intelligence Engine designed to track, measure, and analyse cross-industry skill demands by integrating occupational taxonomies with empirical evidence from academic publications and market sentiment. Developed using R and the Shiny, Plotly, and dplyr packages, the platform combines the O*NET occupational taxonomy as a baseline with data retrieved from academic literature databases and market sentiment channels. Its analytical framework comprises three dimensions: (1) Taxonomic Classification, which categorises competencies into Universal, Hybrid, and Specialized skill tiers to assess their transferability across occupational and industry contexts; (2) Academic Publication Velocity, which retrieves publication counts over a rolling five-year period through a multi-provider API cascade incorporating OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier Scopus, and Clarivate Web of Science; and (3) Composite Skill Indexing, which synthesises logarithmically transformed academic publication intensity and normalised market sentiment into a composite indicator of skill demand. The weighting structure for the composite index is established through a separate regression analysis to provide an empirical basis for combining the two indicators. By integrating occupational classification, scholarly research activity, and market signals, MeriTrace offers a data-driven approach to examining evolving competency requirements across industries. The platform aims to support workforce planning, talent development, and evidence-informed decisions regarding skills development and employability. Most importantly, the platform provides actionable insights to support universities in aligning academic programmes with evolving industry competency requirements, ensuring that graduates acquire the skills needed by the workforce. It also enables universities to identify competency gaps and design targeted short courses or micro-credentials that enhance graduates’ employability and facilitate a smoother transition from university to industry.