The first step in developing your Career Development and Job-Search Plan is to research and understand the Labour Market. The Labour Market (sometimes called the job market) refers to the collective term for employment,unemployment, participation rates and wages. Labour Market Information is used to match the right employee to the right employer.

Labour Market Information (LMI) refers to all of the information connected to the Labour Market. For example, LMI will tell you:

• the industries and occupations that are available to people with your skills, knowledge and interests;
• the trends that affect the availability and types of jobs in your community;
• exactly which companies or government offices may be hiring and information you need to know about these employers;
• the amount of money you should expect to make in a particular occupation;
• the working conditions for a particular occupation;
• whether special licenses or certificates are required for a particular occupation;
• any additional training you may need

LMI is extremely important. As part of your professional development and job-search, you will spend a considerable amount of time:

• identifying the LMI you need: what are the questions you need answered?
• looking for and finding the right sources of information;
• collecting relevant information from these sources;
• analyzing the information; and
• applying the information to your career development and job search plan.

There are many resources to guide you through this research.

The following were developed by APEGBC in 2003:

• LMI for Job Seekers APEGBC
• Glossary of LMI Terms
• APEGBC Handbook - Labour Market Research for Engineering Professions

While some of the information and links may be out of date and the documents were prepared specifically for engineers, they are still useful as a starting point for both engineers and geoscientists looking for work in BC.

A good source of LMI and something that will benefit your career development and job search is to meet your colleagues. Seek opportunities to meet people who use their engineering and geoscience skills at work. Join technical societies, APEGBC branches and divisions, and networks of internationally trained engineers, attend engineering and geoscience events (start with the APEGBC Events Calendar), become involved with ASTTBC and make appointments to meet with people working in engineering and geoscience in their offices for "information interviews". Meet as many people as you can, learn from them and keep in touch with them.

The federal and provincial governments have invested millions of dollars in LMI tools and resources. The following resources are excellent:

Service Canada A national website that allows you to enter the geographic area in which you are looking for work and your desired occupation (e.g. Lower Mainland BC; Civil Engineer). The website then displays job descriptions, job and skill requirements, employment prospects, salary information, potential employers, training opportunities, employment trends and more, customized to your geographic area and desired occupation. Because it covers all geographic areas in Canada, this website can help you decide if you might have more success finding a job in another part of Canada.

BC WorkFutures A BC website that provides LMI, by occupation, including nature of work, main duties, example titles, education and training, working conditions, employment prospects, and more. Make sure you start by clicking on "How to Use" on the left-hand side of the home page; this section provides important information on how to interpret and apply the information you read on the website. Clicking on "How to Find an Occupation" on the top right-hand side of the screen will tell you how to find the occupation you want to research.

Working in Canada This is the national website of BC WorkFutures. It provides national information on duties performed, related occupations, average earnings, education and training, employment prospects and more for several different occupations.

Essential Skills This Government of Canada Website explains the nine essential skills that are needed in almost every occupation (e.g. writing, oral communication, working with others, thinking skills, computer use). The website allows you to search by occupation and tells you how the occupation you entered uses the nine essential skills and how good you should be in each of the skills to practice that occupation. It provides very detailed information on exactly what duties are performed by people in certain occupations. To start, click on "Understanding Essential Skills" on the left-hand side of your screen. After you have read this section, you should click on "Essential Skills Profiles" on the left-hand side of your screen and then "Search the Profiles" towards the bottom of your screen. The Complexity Level will tell you how good each of your essential skills should be to practice your occupation.

As you will learn through the documents and websites listed above, there are countless sources of LMI. Dig deep and keep digging until you find what you are looking for. The more information you find, analyze and apply, the more success you will have in preparing your Career Development and Job-Search Plan.

First-Hand Advice

From the Pilot Project Management Team:

• Senior government agencies contract most of their engineering work (e.g. infrastructure development). The type of engineers they often need are experienced people at the senior level who can make decisions, be responsible, understand economics and quickly get up to speed.
• Warehouse companies (e.g. furniture warehouse) use autoCAD programs to develop warehouse layouts. There are some good opportunities for drafting jobs in this sector.
• There may be work in other parts of the Province. Many Vancouver-based companies hire people who are willing to work elsewhere.
• Design-build is a growing trend with construction companies leading projects and sub-contracting engineering specialists and others.
• To approach a company for a job without first knowing what that company does and where you might fit in is like asking a stranger on the street to marry you. It is an exercise in futility.

Employers, Professional Engineers and Technologists:

• Be willing to move to another city for a job.
• APEGBC and industry associations are good places to network with other engineers.   Attend monthly seminars and luncheons.   Approach people and introduce yourself.
• Do your research.   It will give you a head start on a conversation.  Most people do not know anything about the company before an interview or meeting.   You should know enough about a company to know whether you have something to offer them.

From Internationally Trained Engineers:

• Take the initiative to meet with engineers who are working and ask them for their advice.   You will find out where your experience fits in, what you need to improve upon to meet the employers' needs, what kind of work they do, and where to find jobs.
• Understand how companies operate.   Find out what type of skills and people they want. [Tip: Identify "transferable skills"; these are the most valuable].

Career Development and Job-Search Plan

Open your Career Development and Job-Search Document. Read the Introduction Worksheet. Next, open the LMI Worksheet. Using the information and links provided here, answer the questions under LMI-GENERAL. If you find sources for completing other sections of the LMI worksheet while you are completing the LMI-GENERAL section, add the sources to the appropriate section further down on the worksheet. You can go back to the source when you get to that webpage and associated section of the worksheet.

You will do most of your LMI research at this stage in your career development and job search. However, you will continue to collect, analyze and use LMI throughout your career development and job search and in each of the following webpages and associated worksheets. Each time you collect new LMI, add the new information to your Career Development and Job-Search Document. Everytime you meet someone you would like to add to your network, add their information to the Networking Contacts Worksheet.