Despite still widespread unemployment in Europe, there is a growing shortage of labour, due to the ageing of the population and discrimination against old people both in and out of employment. Following the long history of human rights legislation, such discrimination is now outlawed but many third-agers have become discouraged or do not know how to make their careers more secure. Vocational guidance, therefore, is needed in order to reintegrate them into the labour force and manage their careers effectively. Since the beginning of past century then, theoretical approaches to guidance have been increasingly enriched by several social sciences such as social psychology, pedagogy, economics and sociology. In this paper we will focus on the social and economic policy approach. (Contains 3 notes.)