Most LMI can be of use to clients and most of the questions asked by
clients and students are actually LMI questions in plain language. Although
LMI terminology seems formidable, when translated into meaningful language
it loses some of its intimidation and can be very relevant. For instance,
the labour market term "current prospects" may seem complicated,
but it represents the ordinary question: "Will I find work right
now in this field?" See Table 15 for more terms in plain language.
How Important Is the "Current or Future Prospect"
when Considering What Career to Choose?
Can data that is averaged across the country be useful to the work
seeker or practitioner? A national average for work opportunities
can point to trends that may be coming to a region and can also show
whether a province is above or below the national average (prompting
a consideration of moving if the client is determined to enter this
field).
Work opportunities can be quite different in different provinces.
Geographical regions, such as rural or urban settings, coastal, plains
or mountain regions, can vary greatly too. Job equity programs may
affect opportunities for some clients and specialty skills, such as
a second language, may also affect employment for a particular client.
It is very important that practitioners and clients/students know
where to get provincial or local information to verify work prospects.
Find out what is taken into consideration when an occupation is
assigned a good, fair or limited prospect. If several factors are
used in the calculation, are they all relevant to the client? For
example, Job Futures prospects are not solely based on the
number of job openings. It also includes salary levels and work conditions
such as job stability. If salary is of secondary importance to a client
or if the client believes he or she can deal effectively with an unstable
working condition (with a new entrepreneurial attitude), the outlook
may not be so limited for that person.
What about an "Average" Salary?
Again, an average is good for giving a sense of expected wages in
a certain occupation. This information can be used in an expanding,
exploratory kind of research. However, the average doesn't give the
worker or student any idea of what the starting salary might be or
what wages to expect when established in the field. So an average
salary should never be a deciding factor on its own if the student
or client has strong interest in an area of work.
Once an interest is identified, more detailed information about
salaries can be found in the national Job Futures. More geographically
relevant information can be found in provincial Job Futures
publications and local associations or unions. Looking up companies
that hire in the field of interest and asking them their salary ranges
(or they may be posted in company job banks on the Web site) will
give the searcher more specific information for decision making.
What Is Important when Reading a Chart or Graph?
Check the date. Is it old, current or a future projection? If it
is prior to this year, it may be still relevant or it may have changed
a little or a lot due to labour market activity. If it is current,
what region is it from and what indication is there that the situation
will be the same if years of education are in the picture? If it is
a future projection, remember, a new government policy or turmoil
in a foreign country can change the projection very quickly.
Look carefully at the numbers. If it is a percentage, is it a percentage
of all employment across all industries or occupations, or is it a
percentage of employment in one occupation or industry? Is there an
average to compare it against? If there are numbers, are the numbers
short forms representing thousands or millions?
Who published the data? Is it a reliable source? If a graph shows
a sharp rise or fall, what is the time span for the graph and in what
context was it used? It may be a small piece of a larger graph taken
out of context. In other words, the broader picture may show a very
gradual slope with a temporary, uncharacteristic blip (which has been
cut out and blown up to make a point).
Speed Is the Trademark of the Internet. Surely the
Information Is Up-to-Date and Reliable? Isn't It?
Internet information especially has to be looked at with a critical
eye. Look for a "page last updated" date. Is the author, source
and date of each article specified and how might the source be biased?
Has the author of a site that says it is regularly updated posted an
old article without the original author and date on it? What does it
mean? Not much unless it is checked out. On the other hand, some general
information holds its relevance over time when a trend is large and
entrenched.
Are Hot Job Lists Valuable to Clients/Students?
As with most things, they can be both a help and a hindrance depending
on how they are approached. If looked at as an edict from the gods,
they can squelch creativity, restrict exploration and just plain discourage
initiative. If looked at as one piece of information to be used in
conjunction with other information, they can be very useful.
When looking at a hot jobs list keep in mind:
The limitations of statistics. Is an average history mark really
representative of each student's knowledge? What is the basis
of the "hot" attribution? If it is based on the number
of job openings, are they new positions plus attrition
and are they national, provincial or U.S.? If it says fastest-growing
occupation, it could mean an increase to 200 from 50 - a huge
percentage growth but only 150 new openings. Or, maybe the list
is based on salary only, in which case other factors may be worth
consideration.
Timeframe. What is hot today may not be in existence when a
student is ready for the work force. He/she will need to keep
eyes and ears open for what is up-and-coming through newspapers,
radio, televison, the Internet, flyers, help wanted signs, construction
locations of new industries and subdivisions, conversations with
anyone and everyone.
Talents, passions, skills, interests and experience. No list
should discourage a client or student from pursuing an occupation
missing from the list. The list can be used to build ideas to
explore: growing industries, types of skills that could carry
over into other jobs, related occupations that better fit the
client's needs.
Hot occupation lists can point to industries to look at when considering
a career change. If several scientific high-technology jobs are on
the list, what would the industries housing these jobs need in the
way of services or products? If health occupations seems to dominate
the list, are there other opportunities in the health industry?
Clients may also be able to pick out certain skills common to several
occupations on the list and add them to their repertoire to create a
new position for themselves. Or they could apply some of these skills
to their dream job (which isn't on the list) and carve a niche in their
chosen field.
