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Contents
The most important message of this book is
that the process of searching out information is just as
valuable as the content gathered.
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Purpose New
technology. It was supposed to make our jobs (and our
lives) easier. What it has done is given us constant
access to such an overload of changing information that
it is hard to call anything "finished". Take
this book for example. Between the time of writing and
the time the book was ready for print, newer data became
available, and more recent books became available for
reference material.
The most important message of this book is that the
process of searching out information is just as valuable
as the content gathered. Learning to ask certain types of
questions about job opportunities and learning where to
go for updated answers will be skills needed by everyone
trying to survive the job market. Because information can
change so rapidly, it is very important to choose
carefully the sources of
infomation for your decisions and to always keep looking
for new facts.
Counsellors, teachers and others providing career
services have been affected by the new "information
era" in very concrete ways. Clients and students are
adding a few more questions to their lists. As well as:
"What would I like? What occupation would be
suitable for my interests and aptitudes?" they are
now asking questions about the demand for workers and the
kinds of opportunities they can expect: "Will there
be a job in this field? What field can I train in that
will give me a job? Are there many openings in this
field?"
Is it possible for us to have the answers to such
questions for all occupations? It is highly unlikely. But
we
can know where to go to get that information and we can
train our clients and students to do it for themselves
the next time they are looking for a job or occupational
change. The need to understand the labour market context
of occupations and employment decisions will persist over
their lifetime, which is one of the "future"
trends we will all have to deal with.
This book is meant to be an introduction to the different
parts of the labour market and how they interact with
each other so a reader with very little knowledge in the
area (many counsellor/teacher training programs don't
include labour market courses) can get an overview or a
sense of the labour market "gestalt".
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