Labor Market Insights is a powerful career exploration tool that helps you make informed decisions about your career path. By analyzing real-time data on job trends, salaries, and industry demands, it gives you a clear picture of the current job market, the skills and experience employers are seeking, and the range of job titles and companies actively hiring.
Start your own Career Investigation: Tapping into your research and investigative skills, utilize Labor Market Insights to plan your next step leverage the Career Hub’s Labor Market Insights to explore career options, uncover industry trends, and create a personalized strategy for your job search. Discover where opportunities are growing, identify the skills you need to succeed, and develop a plan to move confidently toward your career goals.
Action Items:
Identify Your Career Area – Select an industry or role you’re interested in exploring. You can explore all career paths on the Labor Market Insights page of the Career Hub. Or, you can check out the Career Pathways section where labor market insights are mapped to career pathways. Write down your top 2-3 choices. For example:
- Go to the Career Pathways for Human Services
- Click on the Labor Market Insights button on the menu.
- Select, “Or, By Filtering For Industry and Occupation”
- Select an Industry
- Select an Occupation from those listed
- Select either Nationwide or the State you are interested in
- Keep your search at the state level, or search by county.
Research Industry Trends – Using Labor Market Insights tools on the Career Hub, investigate current growth trends, demand, and emerging roles in your chosen field by selecting Employment Trends. This shows a 10-year projection of the career field.
Analyze Job Postings – Review 3–5 recent job postings for your target role. Note required skills, qualifications, and certifications.
- Select Top Employers. Depending on the geographic region you are searching in, you will find employers who are currently hiring for this career.
- Visit Employer’s Website. Explore their job opportunities.
Compare Regional Opportunities – Look at data for your geographic area: where are jobs growing? Which regions have the most opportunities in your field?
Salary & Benefits Snapshot – Identify average salaries, benefits, and typical career progression in your chosen role or industry.
Skill Gap Assessment – Compare your current skills and experience by exploring the Occupation Description, Technical Skills, and Core Competencies to evaluate what employers are seeking. Identify areas to improve upon by creating action steps.
Create a Target List – Develop a list of 5–10 companies or organizations that align with your interests, values, and labor market insights.
Action Plan – Write down 3 concrete steps to move forward, such as networking, applying for internships, or enrolling in skill-building courses.
