Employment outcomes are essential indicators of how effectively higher education prepares students for the labor market, impacting both individuals' financial security and broader economic stability. In response to concerns about employment outcomes among graduates, universities have implemented various initiatives aimed at enhancing employment outcomes. However, these initiatives have often fallen short of expectations, evidenced by declining employment outcomes. This suggests that the initiatives may not be addressing the issue of employment outcomes, which could be linked to deficiencies in employability skills. This underscores the need to examine how employability skills influence employment outcomes, focusing on graduates from selected universities in Ogun State Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of this study comprised 51,410 graduates of six selected universities in Ogun State Nigeria. Sample size of 497 was determined using the Research Advisor’s sample size table. The study adopted simple random sampling technique. A structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for the constructs ranged from 0.73 to 0.84. A response rate of 93.2% was recorded. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential (multiple linear and hierarchical regression) statistics at 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that employability skills had effect on employment outcomes of graduates of selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria when moderated by career coaching (β = -.02, t = -2.09, ∆R² = 0.05, ∆F =4.38, p < 0.05). The findings revealed that employability skills influenced employment outcomes of graduates of selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria when moderated by career coaching. The study recommended educational institutions should prioritize integrating employability skills into their curricula to enhance employment outcomes.

Keywords: Adaptability skills, Career coaching, Employment outcomes, Employability skills, Job quality, Problem solving skills