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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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General Questions

What is labour market information or LMI?
How can labour market information or LMI help me?
What is the difference between an Occupation and an Industry?
What is the NewsFlash?
How do I use the information from the Wages & Salaries section?
How can Employment Prospects be of use?
How can the Job Descriptions and Job and Skill Requirements help me?


International Questions

What can I do if I am looking for work in another country?
I am not from Canada, but I would like to move to Canada to work. What do I need to know?
Who is entitled to seek work in Canada?
General Questions

What is labour market information or LMI?
Labour market information or LMI is information we need to make better decisions about our jobs or work lives. It includes occupational or career information such as educational requirements, main duties, wage rates, the availability of workers, current employment trends and the outlook for the position.
LMI also includes industrial information. For example, how many people have jobs in the manufacturing sector in comparison to the service sector? This information can include descriptions of industries, lists of employers found in them and their importance to a community.
However LMI is not limited to occupational and industrial information. It can also include the economic well being and outlook for communities. This involves looking at unemployment rates, the supply and demand for skilled workers, the age, gender and educational level of people in the community.
Labour market information helps us to identify changes or trends that affect our world of work. It provides us with a picture of what will be required in the future. This information helps people who are looking for a career or are thinking about changing jobs. It assists employers who are trying to remain competitive.


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How can labour market information or LMI help me?
Labour market information or LMI:
  		• Influences the choices that people make regarding their career and how they look for work.
  		• Influences the way employers determine the job requirements, the wages paid to their workers, how they hire their employees and make business decisions.
  		• Assists communities, organizations and other service providers to understand current issues in their local area, and to identify and address employment and skill requirements.
  		• Provides governments at the federal, provincial, territorial and local levels with information or data, which assists with the creation of new policies and legislation in order to continue to meet the changing needs of Canadians.
    For more information check out the " What can this site do for me? " section.


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    What is the difference between an Occupation and an Industry?
    An occupation relates to people and the kind of work that they do. An industry relates to companies or businesses and the products they produce or the services they provide.


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    What is the NewsFlash?
    The NewsFlash is a brief summary of labour market events. An important source for this information is the news. News reports are available in newspapers, on television or on the Internet. They provide information on new business openings, closures or relocations, major construction projects and other events that can affect jobs. For example, company XYZ Limited is building an addition onto its factory to increase its production. What does this mean? To begin, an architecture or engineering company will need to design the addition. A construction company will be required to build it. Once the addition is complete, company XYZ Limited will probably require more workers. Depending on your occupation and skills, you may have some leads on potential jobs.


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    How do I use the information from the Wages & Salaries section?
    The Wages & Salaries section provides information on the current wage rates for many occupations. There are many uses for this information. Students and job seekers can use in it choosing a career by finding out which occupations offer the best income potential.

    Employers can use the wages & salaries information to stay competitive in their labour market area. In addition, employers and labour organizations can use it to assist in wage or contract negotiations.


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    How can Employment Prospects be of use?
    You can determine which areas have good or limited employment potential, a labour surplus or a shortage of skilled or qualified workers.
    This information can help people target their job search if they are interested in moving to another area where the employment opportunities are better. Employers can use it to assist with the recruitment of staff, or focus on areas where there is a surplus of skilled workers.


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    How can the Job Descriptions and Job and Skill Requirements help me?
    The Job Descriptions and Job and Skill Requirements provide us with information on the educational requirements and the main duties involved in a job. In fact, you can find information on the local nature of work and employment requirements, for areas across Canada. This detailed information will allow you to have a better understanding of the skills local employers are looking for in potential employees.

    Job description can be used by individuals and students to assist them with occupations they may be interested in pursuing. It can also be used by counsellors to help people with career related decisions or by employers to create company work descriptions for their employees.


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    International Questions

    What can I do if I am looking for work in another country?
    This National Labour Market Information Web site provides information on employment conditions within Canada. For more information on working in another country, you may want to check out the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's (DFAIT) Consular Services web site.


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    I am not from Canada, but I would like to move to Canada to work. What do I need to know?
    This Web site provides information on employment conditions within Canada. In order to find out more information on what the process is to be able to work legally in Canada you should consult Citizenship and Immigration Canada's web site. This site has information on visitors, immigrants, refugees, citizenship and the application procedures for these situations.


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    Who is entitled to seek work in Canada?
    The only people entitled to seek work in Canada are:
  		• Canadian citizens
  		• Permanent residents of Canada and
  		• Individuals authorized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada
    For more information, consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site.


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    Last modified: 2005-09-22 Important Notices