From the turn of the century, the face of the labour market and the role of workers has been changing. The industrialization period brought workers from rural to cities, countries, and even continents, and in the second half of the 20th century, it spread worldwide. The structure of organizations changed from big, huge corporations to businesses with only a few levels of management and outsourcing most of the other activities to external companies all around the world. This led to a worldwide labour market & a globalized economy. The effects of a Globalized economy have positive and negative impacts on the career scenes, as there are a lot of movement of jobs, people, and organizations.
Changes in the labour market and career opportunities are inevitable. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic, globalization, and rapid technological advances in today’s world, this change is unpredictable. Every second, new careers are emerging, and old jobs are either dissipating, or the job skills required are changing. These rapid changes put a lot of pressure on young adults to rethink their educational choices and career plans. Hence, career guidance arises to provide skills and knowledge to make them competent for future jobs.
Making good career decisions is very important for the individual’s wellbeing and the proper functioning of the labour market. Today’s young adults are aware of the need for support and guidance in career decisions and make an effort to approach guidance. However, the informal guidance system from older family members and friends cannot provide support as they have not experienced the new changes. They believe in the old methods of stability and predictability and are not in favour of a change. At the same time, the traditional career guidance support is not adequate to provide the expertise and knowledge required to manage the changing and evolving careers.
The career guidance of today needs to be revised and revamped. As per Esbroeck’s (2008) research, an individual’s educational choice and preferences are more influenced by family members (parents, relatives) and friends than professional guidance workers. Hence having a more holistic approach that includes the informal support system in the framework with professional support is necessary. Counsellors and guidance providers should have a close connectedness with the informal system to educate and help the client understand and cope with the changes in the globalized world.
While working on this article, I came across Donald Super’s theory of Career Development (1990). According to Super (1990), career education is a life-long process influenced by many factors of the individual such as needs, values, experiences, abilities, and personal development. For example, a person may not just require education, skills, and training to settle in a job but may also require skills to upgrade in his current job or move within the labour market. Hence, the Career guidance system should be centered around the individual, and everyone should have access to it regardless of the age and role they play in society.
In conclusion, globalization and fast-paced technological advances will place a lot of pressure on the Career guidance professionals to enhance their skills and develop market knowledge to guide and help clients cope and develop skills for careers of tomorrow. Helping young adults survive and face the unforeseen challenges posed by future careers is a combined effort and responsibility of the community to create a confident and skilled workforce of the future.
Courtesy: Alefiya Rokadia