Collectively, globalisation and flexibility strategies have changed the nature and structure of employment, and as such careers academics, careers practitioners and governments have argued that individuals need to manage their careers in fundamentally new ways to ensure continued employment. We have become concerned that the promise of shared wealth has yet to be realised, as global trends indicate disparate wealth and employment distribution. We are also concerned about the underlying assumptions that individuals can create continuous employment in an environment that does not guarantee employment security simply by managing their "career". In this paper, we briefly outline our current research that seeks to understand the implications of organisation and labour flexibility and globalisation within a one-industry town on individual careers and on the wider community. This research will have implications for careers policy makers and practitioners alike.