Labour Market Information Research the labour market
Labour Market Information (LMI) is facts and figures about jobs and employment. It can include data on employment trends, job availability, skills demand, salary ranges, educational requirements, and more.
LMI gives you a picture of what is happening in the job market, in the economy, in different sectors, and what is impacting them. It can help you plan your goals and start taking control of your career.
Use LMI to help:
- make informed decisions about career choice
- find jobs that are suited to you
- explore career paths and sectors
- strengthen job applications
- plan for the future.
Where to find Labour Market Information
LMI can be found in many places. There are official sources like government surveys and research. You can also get LMI from informal sources like conversations with employers.
Labour Market Information tool and Industry Reports
The Labour Market Information tool allows you to match your study subject, skills, and postcode to job roles across 90 occupations. It offers data such as:
- average regional salaries
- employment growth and unemployment rates
- common tasks
- average weekly working hours
- qualification requirements
- video testimonies from real people performing each role.
Our industry reports provide valuable information on various sectors. This includes SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, forces and trends, and top companies.
You have access to the above tools if you’re a current OU student or completed your study within the last three years. If you're not sure how to sign-in, see Help with signing into the OU systems.
Learn more about our careers tools and services, and how to manage your data, in About Careers and Employability Services.
Active vacancy browsing
Browse jobs using a range of vacancy sources to identify patterns in the skills and experience that employers are looking for.
OU students can search our curated vacancies in OpportunityHub by keyword, location, industry, type or role and more.
Attend employer events and make professional connections
Learn more about employers and industries by attending events and networking. If you’re unsure how, there’s advice for starting out on Networking for your career. It also covers locations to start, such as LinkedIn, careers fairs, and employer events.
Using Artificial Intelligence tools
AI (Artificial Intelligence) programmes can be powerful tools for researching labour market information. When using AI, beware that their accuracy depends on the data and sources they are trained on. For up-to-date LMI with cited sources you could try Perplexity AI. You'll then need to use your critical reading techniques to evaluate the information.
Other sources of Labour Market Information
In the UK:
In Scotland:
In Wales:
In Northern Ireland:
In the Republic of Ireland:
For international students:
