Abstract. As labor markets are dynamic and change rapidly, it is crucial for universities to catch up and align curricula with the required needs so as to produce graduates that can easily enter the workforce and find a suitable job for their qualifications. In Romania, there are some mismatches between the higher education system and the labor market and they are reflected in the number of overeducated or undereducated employees, for one instance, or in graduates’ success in transitioning from university to work. The objective of this systematic literature review is, firstly, to develop one search criteria in order to sort out the most relevant papers on the topic for the database, and, secondly, to conduct qualitative analysis on what has been researched in the last ten years on the given topic of mismatches between the Romanian higher education system and the labor market, what contributes to these mismatches and what possible and feasible solutions there are. Although there is still need for further research concerning Romania’s case, results show that the higher education system is still not funded sufficiently and, in order to align curricula with labor market demands, universities must partner up with the business sector and exchange feedback on a constant basis so as to develop internships and traineeships and programs for lifelong learning, reskilling and career re-orientation.

Keywords: higher education, labor market, systematic literature review, employment, university curricula.