1. Integrating theory into practice: Labour Market Information (LMI)
Jenny Bimrose
IER University of Warwick

2. Practice
Research
Training

3. Aim:
To explore how LMI is integrated into the theories that inform career practice

4. Objectives To review the importance of LMI in practice
To reflect upon the relationship between LMI & career theory
To highlight ongoing research & development into making LMI more accessible

5. Using LMI effectively in practice: Complex interplay of factors
Integration
CPD
ICT
Resources
Focus
Policy
Client
Framework
Practice

6. LMI: back to basics? LMI comes from a range of sources and includes:
information on general employment trends
(i.e. unemployment rates; skills gaps; future demand)
data on the structure of the labour market
(i.e. what jobs exist, how many, which sectors)
information about the way the labour market functions
(i.e. how people get into jobs & move between employers)
data focusing on equality and diversity
(i.e. which individuals are employed in different sectors and at what levels?)

7. Information v. Intelligence
LM Information
Data, graphs & statistics
LM Intelligence
Interpretation of LM Information
Labour market information uses data, graphs and statistics to describe the condition of the labour market, past and present, as well as make future projections
Labour market intelligence is an adaptation, or interpretation of labour market information 7

8. LMI: challenges for practitioners
Identify (what’s required?)
Retrieve (which sources?)
Interpret (making sense?)
Disseminate (who is the target audience?)
Mediate (what does it mean at the individual level?) 8

9. LMI: challenges for clients
Information helps develop new perspectives on a problem:
Giving new intelligence
Correcting mis-information
Ref: Egan, G. (2001). The skilled helper: a problem-management approach to helping, Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole

11. LMI
Theory

12. LMI: careers guidance practice
Dominant theory = DIFFERENTIAL
i.e. career decisions involve a rational, linear process:
Assessing skills & abilities
Evaluating job requirements
Making a ‘perfect’ match
i.e. the ‘matching approach’ to guidance

13. Differential Approach (e.g. Alec Rodgers, John Holland)
LMI will be given directly to clients by practitioners during a guidance interview and the meaning interpreted by the practitioner, with the intention of changing behaviour (e.g. information about application deadlines for courses or jobs given to motivate clients to adhere to these deadlines). 
Interview techniques Emphasises
assessment & use of valid
and reliable information
LMI: Has a central role during the career guidance process
Process: Matching the person with the ‘best fit’ career
Outcome: Rational decision-making

14. So – how rational are you?
Example: information upon which you acted
Example: information you ignored 14

15. ‘Trying to place an evolving
Matching at the heart?
Matching assumes a degree of stability in the labour market:
‘Trying to place an evolving
person into the
changing work environment ... is like trying to hit a butterfly with a boomerang’ (p.263)
Ref: Mitchell, L.K. & Krumboltz, J.D. (1996) ‘Krumboltz’s learning theory of career choice and counseling’, in Brown, D., Brooks, L. & Associates (Eds) Career Choice and Development (3rd Ed), San Francisco, California, Jossey Bass.

16. Guidance for LMI
Differential
Developmental
Humanistic
Psychodynamic
Social Learning
Structuralist

17. Developmental (e.g. Donald Super, Eli Ginzberg)
As in humanistic & psychodynamic approaches, practitioners provide clients with access to sources of LMI and methods of accessing these sources as a means of both assessing interest in an occupational goal and developing the necessary research skills for clients to undertake their own future investigations.
Process: Appraisal of developmental stage,
which reveals new meanings & possibilities
LMI: Little emphasis during
the career guidance process.
Task: Appraisal of client’s stage of career development
Interview techniques: Interpretation, to discover associations
Outcomes: Overall, enhance the career development process for the
client by helping them to achieve self-determined objectives and make choices

18. Humanistic: Person-centred (e.g. Carl Rogers, Gerard Egan)
Process: Creating the psychological climate in which the client becomes self-reliant, able to identify & implement their career plan
LMI: Practitioner expertise available to clients, though a large component not made available during the interview
Interview techniques: Genuineness, unconditional positive regard & empathy
Outcomes: Self-discovery & implementation of self-concept
Task: Focus will be on an area of client control, with the locus of control remaining with the client throughout
Practitioners may provide clients access to LMI as a means of both assessing interest in an occupational goal and developing the necessary skills for clients to undertake their own investigations

19. Psychodynamic (e.g. Anne Roe, Mark Savickas)
As in the developmental and humanistic approaches, practitioners may provide clients access to sources of LMI and methods of accessing these sources as a means of both assessing interest in an occupational goal and developing the necessary research skills for clients to undertake their own future investigations.
Process: Making connections amongst episodes in client’s life.
Outcomes: Assist client find vocational opportunities to develop life themes.
LMI: Little emphasis
Task: Assessment of life themes using pre-determined questions.
Interview techniques: Interpretation, for the purpose of self-exploration.

20. Social learning (e.g. John Krumboltz)
Interview techniques: Reinforcement; modelling and development of decision-making skills.
Outcomes: Define core goals (identify motives).
Practitioners may use LMI in a way that allows recipients to interact with it (e.g. use of a true/false quiz to challenge misunderstandings and misconceptions about an occupational sector) in a way that is aimed at educating the client.
LMI: Used to challenge misconceptions, stimulate exploration and develop decision-making skills.
Task: Evaluate the accuracy of client’s learning

21. Structural (e.g. Ken Roberts, Bill Law, Phil Hodkinson)
Clients are given direct access to high-quality labour market information. Practitioners make themselves available to support clients in their self-directed search for the information needed. 
Task: Review the client’s situation and appraise client’s ‘world view’.
Process: Assist client to compare their beliefs & perceptions with factual data.
Outcomes: Access to education, training and employment opportunities
Interview techniques: Use of counselling skills to support client’s adjustment to, and acceptance of their situation
LMI: High quality information freely accessible to clients

22. Contemporary theories
Social Cognitive Career Theory
Cognitive Information Processing Theory
Work & Relationship Counselling
The Psychology of Working Theory
Career Construction & Life Design
Self-Construction Theory
Contextual Action Theory
The Chaos Theory of Careers
Culture Infused Career Theory
Cultural Preparation Theory

23. LMI: Professional identity?
‘Expert’
(Trait & Factor)
‘Facilitator’
(Humanistic)
‘Teacher’
(Social Learning)
‘Sign poster’
(Occupational Allocation)
LMI 23

24. © 2015 Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick

25. Integrating LMI into theory & practice
Demand for LMI
Multiple sources

26. Careers Professionals

28. Funded by:
Developed by consortia:

30. Overview of data and indicators
Employment: historical, projected and replacement demand (Working Futures based on LFS, BRES)
Pay and earnings (estimates based on ASHE and LFS)
Hours (ASHE)
Unemployment rates (LFS)
Number of vacancies (ESS)
Occupational descriptions (ONS)
Skills, abilities and interests (O*NET)
Current vacancies (fuzzy search)
Higher education destinations (HESA)
LMI SOURCES

31. Big questions… Employment levels by occupation
How many jobs are there? How many in my area? What are the past trends? What are likely future trends?
Labour Force Survey, Working Futures
Average earnings by occupation
How much do people get paid for this job? How much at the start of their career? How much in my area?
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Unemployment by occupation
What proportion of people in this occupation are currently out of work?
Annual Population Survey
Profile of qualification level by occupation
What level of qualification do people have in this job and what am I likely to need?
Vacancies by occupation
How many vacancies are there for this job? What proportion are hard to fill?
Employer Skills Survey

32. What does the future hold? What does the future hold?

33. Can be used along side other, qualitative information… for example, icould
Data alongside career videos to encourage and inspire young people to think broadly about their careers.

34. JobHappy, by Harry Jones
The JobHappy App won runner up in the UKCES CareerHack competition (2014).
This app was designed to support people with their career choices by presenting a range of information (such as job description and tasks, qualification requirements, salary data, employment forecasts, regional data and a selection of courses). For users unsure of their career, they can input their skill levels, which enables JobHappy to generate and recommend matching careers using the skills data for each occupation, unemployment rates and how difficult it is to fill vacancies. Once a user has chosen a career they can use the app to find vacancies in their local area or more widely.

35. Theory & Practice: New Knowledge

36. Theory
ICT
LMI

37. Theory & Practice: LMI

38. For more information…
Graham Attwell Skype: GrahamAttwell Web: Further information: