What about the job market?
Knowing how to use labour market information can help your teenager make realistic learning and career choices.
Encourage your teenager to use labour market information
Labour market information is data, statistics and research about the world of work and the job market. Your teenager can use it to check that they have realistic career ideas and plans. Labour market information can tell them:
- if the job or career that interests them has a long term future - so they can change their plans if necessary
- what employers look for - so they know more about the attitudes, skills and qualifications they will need to get and keep a job
- where the jobs are - so they can find work.
Encourage your teenager to think about the long term trends
The number of jobs for young people without skills has declined in recent years, and is expected to decline further. The recent 'credit crunch' has led to fewer job vacancies and higher unemployment. If your teenager wants to get a job in the future, they need to think about what the long term labour market trends are telling them. These show that:
- there are very few 'jobs for life' - most people change jobs several times during their working lives
- all industries will recruit new workers in the future - to replace people who retire or change direction
- employers want fewer unskilled, unqualified workers - they want more people qualified to at least level 2 (GCSEs at grades C and above) and preferably to level 3 and above
- training is part of most jobs so employers want recruits who are willing and able to learn.
Help your teenager to find labour market information
If your teenager is interested in a particular job or career, encourage them to look for related labour market information in the jobs4u careers database. They could also look at their local Connexions website, the website of the relevant Sector Skills Council and their online 14-19 prospectus.
