Promoting a decent work context and access to sustainable careers in the framework of the fourth industrial revolution

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution has transformed the world of work and the interactions between individuals and their social, political, and economic environment. This revolution exacerbated older problems and generated new ones. Over-stimulation at work, stress and burnout, and under-stimulation, boredom or loss of meaning due to increased abstraction of tasks, are examples of such problems. To analyze these changes and new challenges, this chapter describe the implications of this new revolution for the job market and for individuals. Thereafter, the chapter presents various career counseling theories and models that acknowledge this new reality. These models aim to strengthen individuals' ability to manage their career paths, to promote access to decent work and decent lives, and to promote wellbeing. Finally, the life design intervention will be presented as an example of an intervention that aims at promoting access to sustainable careers. The current goals of technological advance could threaten the access to decent work and contradict a vision of society that puts the free-will of individuals in the first place. For this reason, lifelong career counseling will be crucial in helping individuals manage their career path in this dynamic world of the fourth industrial revolution.