<![CDATA[Background: The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) establishes an integrated regional market characterized by the unrestricted mobility of skilled labor, goods, and services. This globalization dynamic intensifies workforce competition, demanding that students and prospective graduates possess robust adaptability, superior competencies, and optimal psychological readiness. Consequently, guidance and counseling services become vital to navigate these multidimensional career challenges. Objective: This study aims to examine the opportunities, challenges, and strategic urgency of guidance and counseling services in preparing a globally competitive workforce in the AEC era. Method: A qualitative literature review was conducted by examining peer-reviewed scientific articles published between 2013 and 2022 sourced from Google Scholar and ResearchGate. A total of 10 relevant empirical and theoretical articles were synthesized using descriptive thematic analysis. Results: The synthesis revealed four strategic counseling imperatives for the AEC era: (1) adopting cyber counseling to broaden service accessibility and efficiency; (2) enhancing students' self-efficacy to foster academic perseverance and global competitiveness; (3) implementing solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC) for goal-oriented problem resolution; and (4) delivering comprehensive career guidance to enhance workforce readiness. Conclusion: Guidance and counseling are indispensable in transforming AEC challenges into developmental opportunities, equipping individuals with technical readiness, high self-efficacy, and adaptive decision-making skills. Originality/Value: This review article provides novel conceptual contributions to the field of global and multicultural guidance and counseling by synthesizing literature on the strategic urgency, opportunities, and intervention modalities of counseling services in addressing AEC labor market integration. This study maps theoretical and methodological gaps while serving as a strategic reference for developing technology-driven counseling frameworks (cyber counseling) and guiding future research agendas on regional counselor competencies and workforce readiness]]>
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