Journal of African Development

This study presents an integrated bibliometric review examining the evolution of research on artificial intelligence, sustainability and Industry 4.0 within the domain of human resource management and organizational behaviour. Drawing on bibliographic data retrieved from the Scopus database, the analysis covers peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2024 and employs established bibliometric techniques, including performance analysis and science mapping. The study systematically explores annual publication trends, influential journals, authors, institutions and countries, as well as citation structures and thematic patterns. Keyword co-occurrence and thematic evolution analyses reveal a substantial acceleration of scholarly output in recent years, reflecting growing academic attention to digital transformation and sustainable workforce management. The findings indicate that early research primarily focused on human-centric and occupational issues, which gradually evolved toward technology-enabled HRM under Industry 4.0, and more recently converged into integrated frameworks emphasizing artificial intelligence, sustainability and employee well-being. The results further highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the field, with impactful contributions spanning management, sustainability, engineering and applied technology journals. By mapping the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of this rapidly expanding literature, the study provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of digital and sustainable HRM research and offers valuable insights for scholars, practitioners and policymakers seeking to understand and shape the future of human resource management in the digital era