The lay of the land: European career research and its future

Abstract

Over the past two decades, career research in Europe has developed into a dynamic discourse of its own. However, few if any considerations deal with its future development. Against the backdrop of the unique European context consisting of specific European macro‐themes, its methodological heritage and the current research landscape, this conceptual paper outlines core dimensions of a future agenda for European career research. They include units of analysis with varying degree of social complexity, the underlying scientific concern, thematic foci stemming from the European situation, and the role of time. This devises a ‘research space’ providing orientation for future career research in Europe. Concluding, the article touches on contributions of the European career discourse to its global counterpart.