I recently attended a CFEE-sponsored webinar on Making Sense of Career Labour Market Information (LMI). Beyond discussing the various types of labour market information, the presenter, Denise Lloyd, introduced the term labour market intelligence. She contrasted intelligence with labour market information.

Labour market information covers a wide range of topics including employment rates, job requirements (e.g., skills, years of experience, education, and certifications), wages, and occupation projections. Practitioners can find this information within government-sponsored reports, online LMI websites, or when connecting with local employers. Depending on the client’s goals, the type of information he or she will need may differ.

Labour market intelligence can be viewed as the value added piece a career practitioner brings to the client. It’s the synthesis and interpretation of facts, figures, and data in a meaningful and holistic way that helps the client reach his or her goal (e.g., getting a job, enrolling in training). It’s not enough to just provide a client with reports or tables. Instead, career practitioners play a key role in helping clients make sense of the reams of information they may need to wade through in support of their career and work search goals.

If you’d like to watch the webinar yourself, visit http://www.cfeebc.org/say-making-sense-career-labour-market-information-lmi/#sthash.O9CJsLZ8.dpuf.