Employer Engagement

Why teachers need to know about Labour Market Information.

Why teachers need to know about Labour Market Information.

Saturday 3rd June 2017

In my experience as a careers education consultant and also as an assessor for the Quality in Careers Standard, one of the areas that most schools fail to cover effectively is LMI - Labour Market Information.

What is LMI?

LMI is information about the job market - it can show us patterns, trends and facts and figures which can help guide us and our students in understanding the job market and making career decisions.

Articles such as these appear weekly (links at the end of the blog)

  • In the light of Brexit it was reported by the Independent that many engineers from other EU nations are leaving the UK and this may mean there will be a shortage people to fill engineering vacancies UK companies.
  • The BBC reports that the rise of the 'gig economy' has meant that many more people have less job security.
  • The Guardian reports the effect that artificial intelligence will have on the labour market.

Where can I find reliable LMI?

One simple way of ensuring pupils have a basic understanding of the pay and conditions in different jobs is to use the government funded LMI for All widget which you can see below. Just click, type in the job you're interested in and up will pop relevant, up to date data - There are 2 panes so that you can compare two different jobs if you wish. (The widget also has a 3 pane version)

You can see from this example that there are likely to be 8% more barrister jobs l in the future whereas legal secretary vacancies will drop by 25%. Also look at the pay levels for the same amount of hours.

Why do teachers need to know about Labour Market Information?
It is important that students have a good grasp of LMI in order for them to make realistic choices in the real world. Also pupils respond positively to reasons that they can link to employment prospects. Research shows that engagement and drop out rates improve. (Maguire & Killeen)

There are many ways that LMI can be incorporated into lessons and displays e.g. by providing displays of jobs that use particular subject knowledge and including information on hours worked, local employers who provide jobs in that area and how much they pay. In fact there is a toolkit, written by Warwick University which though old (2007) does provide some useful ideas and case studies called Understanding the Labour Market

If you just want to access simple LMI for your lessons, you can access the LMI for All data here, just click on the panes and type in the job titles you're interested in. Or you can insert the widget into your school or company site by following the link at the end of this blog.

LMI for all Widget

The gig economy

Actors, Teachers, Therapists - your job is not safe

Maguire & Killeen NICEC 2003The LMI for All Widget

Understanding the Labour Market 2007