ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews research on the nature and operation of the “external” factors shaping careers, building upon earlier reviews that considered contextual factors in career research. Research on external factors shaping careers takes place in several disciplines, including economics, industrial relations, management, psychology, and sociology. Social structure shapes workers’ careers by defining the range of variation of sequences within a given occupation or field. The literature on careers has identified a very broad range of external factors that can shape how careers unfold. One of the strongest and most frequently studied external influences on careers is the state of the macro-economy. Social influence pressures describe the career influences that stem from the relationships that workers have with other actors. The resources and social standing of a worker’s family, that is their social class, very often determine the education with which workers enter the labor market and their point of entry.
