Statisticians and economists use it to monitor the state of the economy, industry, occupations and even social trends. Government may use it to form new employment or unemployment insurance policies. Educational institutions may use LMI in their career guidance to make quotas for programs or to start new programs. This chapter surveys LMI that is useful in a job search or in career decision making, including national, regional and local LMI sources. The vast amount of information available and the need to have specific information to make informed choices in an ever-changing labour market have led to a basic change in how a counsellor counsels.
Many clients expect to get answers from the practitioner.
It is impossible for one person to know all the information across all occupations, so those providing career services are becoming information brokers, steering clients and students to different sources that suit their need for individualized information. Although practitioners cannot know all the answers, they must be aware of all the facilities for clients or students to find the answers they need. The counsellor or teacher is only the first step in a series of places the would-be labour force entrant has to go. Practitioners, clients and students entering the world of labour market information have three tasks to complete together. The practitioner will first help the client or student identify her or his informational needs .