Using Labor Market Information to Improve Outcomes for Ticket to Work Customers Jennifer Cleary, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University Sherman Gifford, The Choice Group Kevin Nickerson, Tompkins Workforce New York February 20, 2013

Labor Market Information: Why it Matters for Employment Counselors Target your resources toward the most promising opportunities for jobseekers Understand trends in your local labor market and improve your effectiveness and confidence Improve revenues by driving up employment outcomes for Ticket holders 2

What is Labor Market Information (LMI)? Things that can be counted or measured in the labor market Demand-side Information: Jobs New hires Wages Business Firms Minimum Education and Skill Required 3 Most LMI focuses on Occupations and Industries Occupation = typical jobs and job groups Industries = collections of employer firms Most LMI focuses on Occupations and Industries Occupation = typical jobs and job groups Industries = collections of employer firms

How can I Use LMI to Help Ticket Holders? LMI can help you to: Confirm whether jobs or industries are “good bets” Are there large numbers of jobs, above average wages, positive growth outlook, etc. Identify new occupations and industries to consider Which jobs use similar skills, education Which jobs/industries in the area are large/growing Which offer good wages 4

What Types of LMI Are Available? There are 2 main types of LMI: 1.Traditional LMI: The BLS statistics Reliable, but late Leaves some questions unanswered (e.g. skills) 2.“Real Time” jobs data – data from on-line job postings Recent, but less reliable Addresses questions about job openings, skills, employers 5

Where Can I Find LMI? O*Net OnLine Replaced Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) Detailed info on skills, education, work conditions Access to national and state level LMI on job #, outlook, and wages America’s Career Infonet Industry and occupation info. avail at state level Other useful tools and tips, organized by user type 6 For confirming whether a job is a “good bet” …

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America’s Career Infonet: 8

A Note on Decoding the Numbers For occupations: Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) O*Net (more jobs than SOC) For Industries: North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) How it Works 1.First 2 digits = Major Category All Education, training and library occupations 2.More numbers = more detail All Postsecondary teachers Math and Computer Teachers, Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary Occupations “roll up” into categories How it Works 1.First 2 digits = Major Category All Education, training and library occupations 2.More numbers = more detail All Postsecondary teachers Math and Computer Teachers, Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary Occupations “roll up” into categories 9 Occupation and industry data is organized using a 6+ digit coding system

LMI and Individual Work Plan (IWP) Development The Choice Group Richmond, VA

Process 1.Ticket to Work program Orientation 2.Specific Individual development of IWP A.Discussion of KSA’s, experience and disability issues B.Exploration of local earnings and projections for growth or decline, using local knowledge and Internet resources C.Agreement on short, intermediate and long-term goals D.Document on IWP E.Change the IWP if necessary after periodic quarterly reviews 11

Resources O*Net OnLine Virginia VIEW s/ Excellent source of Virginia career information, including local earnings ranges and projections 12

Use of Internet Resources Explore: Jobs and job groups based on client’s interests, experience and abilities Career paths in chosen position, including education opportunities and requirements for advancement Projections for opportunities and earnings* 13 Be Careful – 10 year projections are “best guesses” – no one has a crystal ball and trends change over time

Sample Virginia View Overview Page 14

Sample O-Net Summary Page 15

Sample IWP 16

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Interpreting LMI For Use with Ticket Holders Tompkins Workforce New York Ithaca, NY

Practical uses of LMI Helps us to see trends in employment, locally, regionally, and statewide Provides a platform to assist Ticket holders who are unsure of their career direction (part of career exploration) For the Workforce system, helps to define demand occupations, which also influences training dollars spent on customers For NYS, our Home Page for LMI, is found here:

NYS Home Page - LMI Looking at regional data is useful 20

Regional Data Start Page Refined by region These are options specific to each region (next slide) 21

Regional Data Page Looking at what businesses are expanding or contracting can be very useful to our Ticket holders 22

Regional Data Page Local employer information provided here, including major expansions 23

NYS DEI Ticket to Work Intake Process NYS DEI project has created a useful intake form, which encourages Disability Resource Coordinators to look at local LMI This form collects basic information on potential Ticket holders we may serve Based on information collected, we examine whether our EN services are the “right fit” for the Ticket holder Referrals to other service providers, or IWP development, is the result of the intake process 24

NYS DEI Intake Form LMI connection falls under Employment Goal 25

NYS DEI Ticket to Work Program Intake form If Employment Goal is NOT consistent with local Labor Market needs, it does not necessarily mean we will not move forward in assigning a Ticket, and providing EN services This is simply used to help provide guidance to beneficiaries, and to provide direction that is relevant in today's labor market 26

Fastest Growing Occupations Also useful, when providing career guidance, is in examining where there is growth Looking at trends over time helps to establish occupations where we can expect future growth, and perhaps, what kind of training would be worth pursuing 27

Occupational Wages After reviewing the kind of work a Ticket holder has interest, and aptitude in, should lead you to the next question…will this new occupation help the Ticket holder make enough to be self-sufficient? Local data Provides us wage data expectations, based on experience 28

Conclusions While Labor Market Information is useful as a guide, it does require some interpretation, and will not always align with legitimate goals of our Ticket holders Tips: Use LMI in context - know your Ticket holders, talk to local employers, and read articles about the industries and jobs you deal with most. Routinely incorporate LMI when providing career guidance, especially when Ticket holders are changing careers Remember, understanding trends in your local labor market makes you more valuable and relevant to your job seekers 29

Contact Information Jennifer M. Cleary Senior Project Manager John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University Phone: (732) x Sherman Gifford Vice President, EN Manager The Choice Group, Richmond, VA Phone:(804) x121 Kevin Nickerson NYS Disability Resource Coordinator, State Lead Phone:(607) x co.org 30