A number of reports over the past 12 months have raised concerns about the impact of shifting the legal duty to provide independent advice from local authorities to schools in September 2012.
But appearing before the education select committee, Gove dismissed suggestions that services have deteriorated.
Gove told the group of MPs that some critics of the changes were “self-interested” and talking “garbage”, insisting that the system is better than it was before.
“Let’s not imagine that prior to the transfer of careers advice responsibilities to schools, the situation was brilliant,” he said.
“It is not the case that there was a Ming vase of careers guidance that has been smashed by a thoughtless government.
“There is no evidence that we have made a bad situation worse, because there is no evidence that the situation is worse than it was beforehand. I think we have made it better.”
Gove said that central to further improvements was the need for teachers, parents and young people to “develop a clearer sense of what the world of work offers and demands”.
“I think that is best communicated by improving links between business or other employers and schools, because nothing is more inspiring or helpful than hearing from individuals in a particular area about the opportunities they have to offer,” he said.
“Nothing is more likely, for example, to encourage someone to pursue science than knowing that the range of career options available to you is infinitely greater if you are doing physical sciences and mathematics than if you have chosen prematurely to specialise in other areas.”
He added that skills minister Matthew Hancock has produced an action plan and statutory guidance, which are both due to be published shortly.
“I think the statutory guidance will bring a degree of clarity and help which will make things improve,” he said.
Gove’s claim of improvement follows a series of critical reports on careers guidance.
In February, a report by the education select committee described the government's decision to transfer the duty to provide careers advice from local authorities to schools as “regrettable” and warned that the change has led to a deterioration in the quality of provision.
In August, research by Barnardo's found that the abolition of Connexions, the move of the duty to provide careers advice from councils to schools, and the introduction of the National Careers Service had left young people with “wholly inadequate” careers guidance.
And in September, an Ofsted thematic review of careers advice services in 60 schools showed that just one in five were giving pupils information about a sufficiently wide range of career options.
The legal duty to provide careers advice was transferred to schools in September 2012 under the 2011 Education Act.
The National Careers Service was launched in April 2012 and currently only offers online and telephone advice to young people aged 13 to 19, though adults can access face-to-face advice.
