All About Work

What is Labour Market Information (LMI)?

Labour Market Information (LMI) is information about what is happening in the world of work.

LMI is very important when you’re making decisions about career choices, jobs, and courses - you need to know how the job market might change in a few years, and if the jobs that interest you now will still be there in the future.

LMI is collected about such things as the:

• Number of job vacancies in each job sector
• Types of vacancies – full-time, temporary, seasonal or permanent
• General trends in the working world 
• Skills and qualifications that employers are looking for
• Number of people looking for work.

We’ve put together some of the most important bits of information about the changing world of work, based on local and national LMI below.  There’s also an exciting new site about the world of work in the Black Country. Why not use information about the world of work to help you when you’re making decisions about your next step?

What’s the most important message from LMI?

It’s vital to keep learning at work. If you want, or need, to move on to another job in the future, you’ll find it much easier if you have some evidence of what you can do at work. The best evidence you can give an employer is a CV that includes work-related qualifications as well as work experience.

f you want to get started at work, and leave education at 16, 17 or 18+, it is important to find out about jobs which offer you planned training and qualifications – often called work-based learning opportunities.

What can I do to survive in difficult economic times?

It is more important than ever that you don’t make the mistake of taking a job without training - just because it is a job.  There will continue to be an increased demand for workers in the future who are skilled and qualified to at least level 2.

Don’t worry if you feel that you are not likely to get to level 2 by the end of year 11. The good news is that training providers and many employers are willing to offer you training for the skills you need to do the jobs available. The most important thing is to be willing to keep on learning, and be prepared to take up any training on offer.

You will also increase your chances of success if you are flexible about travelling - not just in your home town, but also into other parts of the Black Country, and don’t forget Birmingham, which has a large business, finance and retail sector.

Make sure that you have a back-up plan. It’s always a good idea not to have just one plan. You may be keen to get a job as soon as possible, but you need to think about what else you could do if this isn’t possible at the moment. 

Don’t just apply for jobs, apply for work-based training, and also think about going to college or staying at school to do a work-based course such as the new Diploma. It makes sense to build up your skills in difficult economic times.