Mathematical Methods in Skills-based Workforce Scheduling: A Comprehensive Review

ASM Sc. J., 21(1), 2026

Published on January 21, 2026

https://doi.org/10.32802/asmscj.2026.0094

Author: Ezzah Suraya Sarudin, Wan Nor Munirah Ariffin, Siti Suhana Jamaian

Abstract

Skills-based workforce scheduling is essential in enhancing operational efficiency across various industries. Despite its importance, a comprehensive review of mathematical methods used to address complex scheduling problems is still underexplored. Therefore, this paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing the research trends and the recent mathematical approaches that have been applied using both bibliometric and systematic review techniques. An initial dataset of 1109 articles was retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases and merged using Python software. After removing duplicates and non-English articles, 749 articles were analysed to identify the publication and citation trends, the most popular journals, the most cited articles, and the emerging keyword themes. To investigate the current mathematical methods of solving skills- based workforce scheduling, 62 articles that were published between 2020 and 2024 in the fields of operations research, management sciences, decision sciences, and mathematics were further analysed. The findings indicate that heuristic and metaheuristic approaches are the most commonly used, with hybrid approaches becoming more prevalent. This review offers valuable insights into the evolution of the landscape of mathematical techniques that may support future researchers in developing innovative concepts for workforce scheduling, which benefits both academic and practical applications in this field.

Keywords: mathematical method trends, research trends, skills-based scheduling, workforce optimisation