Labor Market Information Systems

Dates and duration

May 5 – 16, 2008 (2 weeks)

Tuition

$3,180

Participants

This seminar is designed primarily for economists, researchers, labor market analysts, and managers working with labor market information. Participants should have an elementary knowledge of statistics and some experience in analyzing labor or social data.

Objectives

To develop participants' capability to conduct and analyze labor market studies by:

  • Developing a labor market information system
  • Defining a labor market area
  • Describing the various secondary sources of information about the local labor market, which can be used to prepare a labor market study
  • Teaching techniques for filling information gaps with data from sample surveys and other sources
  • Developing skills in analyzing diverse data series with a coherent focus

Program content

Labor market information is essential for tracking and analyzing the economy of a country. It is also used in determining future workforce training needs, identifying the availability of labor, ascertaining the prevailing wage rates, and exploring potential markets. The study of a labor market generally has both a broad national and a narrow geographic or activity focus. Frequently, there is a lack of explicit data for the target study.

National and local governments need labor market information to reduce unemployment, generate employment, or plan training programs to meet the needs of industry. Labor market studies are also valuable to local and regional planning agencies as well as industries and businesses looking for site locations, seeking ways of attracting and retaining skilled workers, or assessing the scope and size of potential markets. Labor unions also find these studies useful for determining comparable wage and compensation levels, local working conditions, and training needs.

The seminar will show participants how to develop information from various sources; to interpolate from existing data; to conduct sample surveys, if needed; and finally, to bring the various pieces of data together for coherent, cogent analysis.

Participants are encouraged to bring with them the following materials for use in discussions and workshops: 1) methodologies on how data related to the seminar topic are collected in their home countries; 2) questionnaires used in their countries for obtaining those data; and 3) sample publications of those data. Time will be reserved for participants to have appointments with staff of BLS and other organizations to discuss special problems.

A summary of the program follows:

Introduction to labor markets

  • What they are and how they are defined
  • Reasons for conducting labor market studies (for example, determining training needs)

Labor market information system

  • System development
  • Defining uses

Components of labor market information

  • Employment structure by industry and occupation
  • Labor force demand and labor supply
  • Local area unemployment
  • Other demographic, geographic, and economic factors

Sources of data for labor market information studies

  • Secondary sources such as censuses of population, industry, housing, and education
  • Administrative data (for example, payroll taxes or unemployment insurance records)
  • Ongoing labor force surveys, marketing surveys, and so forth
  • Ad hoc surveys of employers, workers, or households to obtain original data

Data analysis

  • Defining the objective of the study
  • Focusing diverse data series on the study objective
  • Data analysis and presentation

As a supplementary course, Training of Trainers is open to all participants of this seminar.

 

Last modified: November 20, 2007