Labour Market Information for Literacy Programs
The Essential Skills of Labour Market Information
What is labour market information (LMI) and how can it help literacy programs?
Labour Market Information (LMI) describes any type of information used to make informed decisions about the labour market. Good LMI can also tell us about what type of occupations are currently in demand, how much money could be earned in a particular job, where the local job vacancies can be found, and what might be the ‘hot jobs’ be when they leave education
Literacy and Basic Skills programs can benefit from LMI as a learner or instructor can use LMI to help inform employment or educational goals. Instructors and literacy practitioners can also use LMI for setting learner goals and developing lesson plans
More specifically, LMI can assist learners to get answers to the following questions:
What jobs and skills employers in Toronto are looking for?
Which industries (e.g., manufacturing) are hiring?
What education, credentials and certificates have value with employers?
What jobs are employers having challenges in filling?
Which occupations and industries are likely to grow in the foreseeable future?
In summary, LMI provides help to learners and instructors when thinking about what current and future employment opportunities might hold.
Points to consider:
LMI by itself, can only help learners to make decisions.
A learner should always consider what types of work activities they like to do.
If a particular job or career is appealing, it might not be realistic if the qualification(s) are challenging and/or require significant financial and time commitments
labour market forecasts (job opportunities in the future) are not always reliable and should be viewed carefully.
Examples of some literacy activities that can be developed using the LMI:
Reading Job Postings: Using real job postings can help learners improve their reading skills while also familiarizing them with the language and terminology commonly used in the job market.
Analyzing Industry Reports: Providing learners with industry reports or labor market analyses and guiding them to read and interpret the information can help develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.
Researching Career Pathways: Learners can practice conducting online research, reading and summarizing information, and presenting their findings in writing or verbally, which can help them develop information literacy and presentation skills.
Creating Job Search Strategies: Learners can learn how to use online job boards, search for job openings, and identify relevant resources for job search, such as career fairs or job placement services. This activity can help them develop digital literacy skills and strategic job search techniques.
Analyzing Career Pathways: Learners can analyze different career pathways using labor market information and create visual representations, such as charts or diagrams, to showcase the skills, education, and experience needed for each career. This activity can help them develop their data visualization and presentation skills, and also gain a better understanding of the different career options available.
