The Neoliberal Challenge to Career Guidance

Career guidance has a long-standing relationship to social justice. However, this relationship is reconfigured in different historical periods. The current period is characterised by neoliberalism and the idea that market principles should underpin the functioning of all aspects of society. However, neoliberalism is being contested from a range of different perspectives, many of which make claims to offer more social justice than the status quo. However, social justice is a contestable concept which can align with different political perspectives. Given this, how should career guidance adapt and intervene in the contemporary world? This chapter introduces the volume by offering a discussion of neoliberalism and its interaction with social justice and career guidance.