Interdisciplinarity: the university’s answer to the demands of the labor market

Abstract

Within advanced economies, there is general concern that teaching and research within higher education institutions are not directed towards specific objectives. One of the fields where this concern is clearest is in the labor market. In this paper, I argue that universities respond to the demands of the labor market by implementing interdisciplinarity in order to provide their students with an opportunity to gain relevant skills and competences, which will enhance their “employability”. These new skills and competences can be seen as a response to the new jobs which will be created in the future.