[Socioeconomic reality: the context in which vocational and professional guidance have to deal with].

In this work we describe and analyze today's Latin American occupational reality, according to the world economical context we live in. We mention up-to-date data about employment and unemployment rates, from different countries of Latin America, Europe, and also from Japan. Besides that we have taken into account the technological development and the demographic growth, as essential variables in order to understand the labor phenomenon and its possible prospect, as well as the psychosociological consequences or unemployment. We also analyze the future of some professions. We think that all this information gathered from different sources, is essential to the professional who has to guide teen-agers at the time of the Ocupational-Vocational election. This is also necessary to all those who deal with Professional Guidance and with the Planning of Careers that have already been chosen.