Career services filling the gap: Reconciling labour market mismatches

The labour market has undergone profound structural changes during the past decade as a result of the reconfiguration of work, new ways of working (such as the rise of task-based and platform economies) and the internationalisation of work. These shifts have resulted in workers needing to respond to new and rapidly changing demands for skills, competencies and attributes as the content of jobs continuously change. Within this climate, it is known that, typically, individuals are experiencing multiple transitions throughout their working lives and making important decisions about their participation in the labour market at every stage and phase of their career and learning journeys. Recent evidence suggests there is a compelling need for individuals to be adaptable as occupational prospects are less predictable (Bimrose, Brown, Barnes, & Hughes, 2011; Savickas et al., 2009, Savickas, 1997). This unpredictability may have implications for the way individuals experience and cope with their transitions (Cedefop, 2016a) and their attitudes towards, and engagement with, learning across the life course (Barnes, Brown & Warhurst, 2017).