LMIC’s Strategic Plan points out that having the right labour market information (LMI) at the right time can make all the difference in finding a career path that is rewarding and satisfying. To find out if Canadians feel the same way, we decided to ask them. The overwhelming response was, yes, LMI makes a difference (see figure).
Beginning in August 2018, we asked a wide variety of Canadians a series of questions about their LMI needs. The first set of results focuses on five groups: employed people, unemployed people, people with disabilities, recent immigrants, and recent university and college graduates. (More detail about how we conducted these surveys can be found here).
The surveys found that LMI has had the greatest impact for those respondents who indicated they are recent immigrants, unemployed, or recent graduates; roughly 90% of each group said that LMI made a difference in their career-related choices. Approximately 80% of employed people and persons with disabilities said LMI has had an impact. Evidently, all groups surveyed recognize the difference LMI can and has made to their career-related decisions.
Overwhelming Majority of Those Surveyed Report LMI has had an Impact on Their Career Path
Note: Responses indicating that job market information has had "not a big impact," "some impact" or a "big impact" are counted here as "impactful." "No impact at all" responses are counted as "no impact" on LMIC’s dashboard of results.
However, our previous LMI Insights highlighted the fact that, for many Canadians, finding LMI isdifficult and, even when it is found, is frequently difficult to understand. The high levels of impact reported here suggest that making LMI more accessible and easier to understand would constitute a large and meaningful improvement for many Canadians.
At the end of the day, Canadians want to make the best possible decision when it comes to their career and life paths. To inform these crucial decisions, they lean on the available resources - including LMI. In a future issue of LMI Insights, we will dig deeper into the persistent LMI needs and challenges faced by Canadians. Stay tuned!
Check out the survey dashboard and previous LMI Insights Issue No. 5 on the difficulty in finding LMI: Is it Difficult to Find Information That Helps Career-Related Decisions?, Issue No. 6 on the difficulty understanding LMI: Easily Understood LMI is Essential for Making Informed Career Decisions. Additional results will be made available as analyses are completed.
