Originally presented at the Data and Analytics for the Public Sector Summit, economist Tony Bonen discusses the importance of open-access data for the future of the labour market.

1. Powering labour market
evolutions with open-
access data
Tony Bonen, PhD
06.18.21

2. 2
LMIC
Governance

3. 3
Overview of
Learning Objectives
Challenges of organizing
data from a variety of
loosely related sources
Strategies for making
complex data useful for
non-technical users
Principles for the non-
functional design aspects
of IT projects

4. 4
LMIC and
Future Skills Centre
Partnership
• 2-year project with $3M in funding
• Piloting the creation of an open cloud-based data
hub
• Supporting the development of career planning and
guidance tools
• Improving LMI for Canadians

5. 5
LMI is not relevant:
Biggest challenge reported
by Canadians is the
relevance of LMI
Call to action: Curate
existing LMI to maximize
relevance
Significant gaps in LMI:
2nd most sought after LMI
is “skill requirements of
jobs” – which doesn’t
currently exist
Call to action: Close gaps
in prevailing LMI
LMI is difficult to find:
Vast majority of individuals
and organizations say LMI
is difficult to find. Even
career practitioners (54%)
report difficulty in finding
LMI
Call to action: Provide
guidance/architecture to
streamline access to
multiple data
Context of Joint FSC-LMIC Project

6. 6 COVID-19 in historic context

7. 7 11 of last 15 months are the largest
swings in employment ever recorded
Monthly Change in Employment (seasonally adjusted)
Rank Month Total change % change
1) April 2020 -1,992,200 -11.0%
2) March 2020 -996,500 -5.2%
3) June 2020 941,700 5.7%
4) July 2020 416,900 2.4%
5) September 2020 372,200 2.1%
6) March 2021 303,100 1.6%
7) May 2020 302,400 1.9%
8) February 2021 259,200 1.4%
9) August 2020 213,700 1.2%
10) January 2021 -212,800 -1.2%
11) April 2021 -207,100 -1.1%
12) January 2009 -133,000 -0.8%
13) November 1994 90,400 0.7%
14) September 1980 81,600 0.7%
15) June 1982 -81,300 -0.7%

8. 8
Selected LMI needs that
came to light during COVID
• Skills-related indicators
• No common standard for identification or measurement of labour
market information related to skills
• Granular data on under-represented groups
• Limited availability of socio-demographic information related to
sub-population groups particularly vulnerable to crises
• Information relevant for parents
• Limited information and insights related to childcare services and
labour market characteristics of parents
For further details see The Pandemic and Emerging Labour
Market Information Gaps:
https://lmic-cimt.ca/publications-all/lmi-insight-report-no-37/

9. 9
LMIC Data Hub
workflow runs in
opposite
direction of
strategy

10. 10 Official Data:
Occupations in Canada
• Jobs are organized into the National Occupational
Classification (NOC) system
• There are 500 “unit groups” defined by a 4-digit code – the
most granular level available
Each 4-digit NOC can be rolled up into more aggregate categories. For example,
NOC 1227 are “Court officers and justices of the peace”
122 Administrative and regulatory occupations
12 Administrative and financial supervisors and
administrative occupations
1 Business, finance and
administrative occupations

11. 11
Category Variable Description Share of
job Postings
Employer Employer's name The name of the employer
responsible for the posting
39%
Location City or town City or town where job is
located
91%
Census Division Census division where job is
located
93%
Economic Region Economic region where job is
located
93%
Province or Territory Province where the job is
located
100%
Occupation
(NOC)
1-digit NOC Broad occupational
classification of posting
87%
4-digit NOC Detailed occupational
classification of posting
71%
Work
Requirements
Tools, skills,
knowledge,
technology
and other descriptors
identified by the
employer
as required for the job
The full set of work
requirements categorized into
ESDC's
Skills and Competencies
Taxonomy:
1)Knowledge
2) Skills
3) Tools and Technology
4) Other
90%
200k+ new, unique online
job postings per month
2 million online job postings
in 2020
Unofficial Data:
Online Job Postings
Explore data on the Canadian
Online Job Posting Dashboard:
https://lmic-cimt.ca/canadian-
online-job-posting-dashboard/

12. 12
Category Variable Description Share of
job Postings
Employer Employer's name The name of the employer
responsible for the posting
39%
Location City or town City or town where job is
located
91%
Census Division Census division where job is
located
93%
Economic Region Economic region where job is
located
93%
Province or Territory Province where the job is
located
100%
Occupation
(NOC)
1-digit NOC Broad occupational
classification of posting
87%
4-digit NOC Detailed occupational
classification of posting
71%
Work
Requirements
Tools, skills,
knowledge,
technology
and other descriptors
identified by the
employer
as required for the job
The full set of work
requirements categorized into
ESDC's
Skills and Competencies
Taxonomy:
1)Knowledge
2) Skills
3) Tools and Technology
4) Other
90%
Unofficial Data:
Online Job Postings
Official stat
categories
200k+ new, unique online
job postings per month
2 million online job postings
in 2020
Explore data on the Canadian
Online Job Posting Dashboard:
https://lmic-cimt.ca/canadian-
online-job-posting-dashboard/

13. 13
Category Variable Description Share of
job Postings
Employer Employer's name The name of the employer
responsible for the posting
39%
Location City or town City or town where job is
located
91%
Census Division Census division where job is
located
93%
Economic Region Economic region where job is
located
93%
Province or Territory Province where the job is
located
100%
Occupation
(NOC)
1-digit NOC Broad occupational
classification of posting
87%
4-digit NOC Detailed occupational
classification of posting
71%
Work
Requirements
Tools, skills,
knowledge,
technology
and other descriptors
identified by the
employer
as required for the job
The full set of work
requirements categorized into
ESDC's
Skills and Competencies
Taxonomy:
1)Knowledge
2) Skills
3) Tools and Technology
4) Other
90%
Unofficial Data:
Online Job Postings
Unofficial stat
categories
200k+ new, unique online
job postings per month
2 million online job postings
in 2020
Explore data on the Canadian
Online Job Posting Dashboard:
https://lmic-cimt.ca/canadian-
online-job-posting-dashboard/

14. 14
Data Criteria
& Principles
Underlying LMI Data Standards
• Localness
• Granular
• Frequent
• Timely
• Consistent
• Evidence-based
Production Standards Consumption Standards
Relevant
• Meaningful
• Understandable
• Findable
• Accessible
Reliable
• Open & Transparent
• Comparable
• Contactable
• Protective of
sensitive information
Adapted from LMI Best Practices Guide:
https://lmic-cimt.ca/lmi-best-practices-guide/

15. 15
Non-technical needs are driving
technical specification
Career Development Stakeholder Committee
• Identify gaps and needs
• Guide the overall direction of work
• Test the viability of the data hub
• Measure and monitor lessons learned
Building a decision-based framework to identify LMI needs
• Common transitions and decisions in careers highlight certain
LMI
User workshops and outreach
• User guides
• Dashboards
• Public opinion research

16. 16
Key lessons learned
Principles for non-functional design
Engage end
users early and
identify clear
use cases
Prioritize
schema
development
Design and
architect a
service, not a
tool
Project
management
coordination
between teams
is paramount

17. 17
CONTACT
Questions
Tony Bonen
tony.bonen@lmic-cimt.ca
Director, Research, Data and Analytics