How did needing, seeking, and finding employment steer individual lives in the book? In what ways is this different today, if at all?
There are many more avenues to finding work in the modern world than in the time of the book. Word of mouth still works today too. Another factor is the economy and at the time of the book jobs were hard to find.
Patrick and perhaps Tor were the only characters who had jobs that they desired and provided sufficient income to provide for their families. Everyone else held jobs that lacked something: a living wage, freedom (for example, Jane), fulfillment (Cath, Frank), being with their loved ones (Michael). Although our employment opportunities are much broader than they were in the mid-1800s, there is always the balance and tradeoffs between the job you’d love to have and the job that meets your financial requirements. And sometimes, your job meets neither.