The Future of Career Development Trends in changing workplaces have created employment practices that have implications for career development. Corporate downsizing, early retirements and the increasing use of temporary work have led some people to fear that they will not be able to get full-time work. However, new worker configurations and alternative ways of working do not necessarily mean the loss of job opportunities. This Myths and Reality examines the differences between perception and practice as they relate to employment and career development. Loyalty and job security have disappeared The new "partnership" relationship between employer and employee, which is reportedly replacing the old "parent-child" relationship, emphasizes workers' employability. In the “partnership” relationship, employers offer employees career and skill development opportunities, and employees take advantage of the opportunities they are given to improve their skills, marketability, and potential for continued employment. Philosophically, this employer-employee compromise is equally beneficial. Employers invest time and money in developing their employees, employees learn updated skills that are reflected in improved worker productivity and increased company profits, and employers realize a good “return on investment.” In practice, however, the cycle is not always complete. Loyalty, which seems a natural consequence of the give-and-take process, may be too elusive to rely on chance. From the beginning, organizations that set out to improve the skills and employability of their employees feared they might lose the workers they trained to the competition. Filipczak (1995) countered this for...... half of the article ......ELADMINISTRATION 15, no. 2 (Spring 1995): 46-61. Filipczak, B. "You're on your own." TRAINING 32, n. 1 (January 1995): 29-36.Hetzer, B. "Beware the Ties that Bind." BUSINESS WEEK, 17 March 1997, pp. 120-121. Kane, A. “Older Workers Expand Their Role in the Workforce.” CAREER MAGAZINE 1996Kennedy, J. "Employment Contracts Become More Common." THE PLAIN DEALER, June 1, 1997, p. 5D. National Business Alliance. “The Contingent Workforce: Temporary Phenomenon or Permanent Structure?” WORKFORCE ECONOMICS 2, n. 7 (June 1996): 7-11. (ED 398 424) Tarrant, J. PERKS AND PARACHUTE. New York: Random House, 1997. “Your Life.” USA TODAY 125, no. 2622 (March 1997): 6.Vickers, M. "Quit a new job? You can pay the movers." NEW YORK TIMES, February 9, 1997, section 3, p. 11.