About CCHRSC

This information was last updated on February 1, 2013 prior to the CCHRSC’s dissolution. For more information, please see the message from the Board. 

What is Labour Market Information (LMI)? 

Labour Market Information (LMI) is data collected on a particular occupation or sector of the economy. Regularly collected labour market information is important because it helps paint a picture of trends in an occupation in the short and long term and can be used to inform decisions related to employment, work, and business by governments. In turn, it can help determine the type of investments or policies that would benefit the sector at the regional, provincial/territorial, and federal levels.

Specific types of labour market information include:

• Job and skill level requirements for a particular occupation
• Education requirements and training needs for a particular occupation
• Employment demand (current and projected) for workers in a particular occupation
• Long-range employment prospects in a specific region, province or territory
• Current wages and salaries by occupation in a specific region, province or territory
• Information on potential employers and how to contact them
• The overall economic outlook for a given occupation

LMI: Data Collection Methods & Tools

There are several different classification tools and data collection methods commonly used in Canada. Five of these include:

The NOC/NOC-S: The National Occupational Classification (NOC) and National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) are classification systems designed to organize occupational information and data collected from various surveys. They provide a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market by organizing over 30,000 job titles into 520 occupational group descriptions.

The NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is a classification system designed to organize industry-related information and data that is collected from various surveys.

Data Collection Methods (Surveys):

The Census: The Census of Canada (the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture) is a national survey that collects information used to describe Canada’s people, housing and agriculture operations. Information from the Census provides a statistical portrait of Canada and its people. The Census tells us about the social, economic and demographic situation of Canadians living in various regions, including those living abroad.

The Labour Force Survey: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey of the Canadian population 15 years of age or older in Canada’s provinces and territories. It measures how well the Canadian economy is performing by estimating employment and unemployment rates. The LFS provides useful information for the ECEC sector that can assist in determining the national employment and unemployment rates for occupations in the sector.

The SEPH: The Survey of Employment Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is designed to provide detailed information on the total number of paid employees, payrolls, and hours at detailed industrial, provincial and territorial levels. The SEPH is an employer-based survey, which means that self-employed lone operators are excluded. Within the ECEC context, the SEPH reflects employment, weekly and hourly earnings and hours worked for employees in centre-based care.

Why LMI Matters to the ECEC Workforce

In order to understand and address key labour market and human resource issues facing the ECEC sector, such as turnover and recruitment and retention, it is important to have current, firsthand data and labour market information on the workforce. Employers, decision-makers and planners working in the sector can use the data to make informed decisions related to short- and long-term HR planning.