Exploring Career Opportunities

Most people can only name four or five jobs. You don’t want to make career decisions without enough information! Before considering which career paths might be right for you, you need to do career research, commonly referred to as labour market research.

What Is Labour Market Research?

Labour market research involves gathering information about the job landscape to support informed career decisions. It helps you explore current job trends, identify in-demand skills, and understand which industries are actively hiring.

This research can reveal:

• Which sectors are growing
• What qualifications or skills employers want
• Whether additional education or training may be needed

To make your research effective, begin with broad sources to get a general overview of a field. Then, narrow your focus to specific organizations, job postings, and professionals working in those roles. This step-by-step approach provides the most detailed and actionable insights.

What Kinds Of Questions Can Labour Market Research Answer?

How Can Labour Market Research Inform The Decisions You Are Making Now?

• Explore career paths linked to your program or specialization to make confident academic choices.
• Identify valuable skills you can build through courses, volunteering, or work experiences.
• Write stronger resumes and cover letters by using keywords that match employer expectations.
• Prepare for interviews with confidence by understanding industry trends and salary expectations.
• Connect with professionals for informational interviews and grow your network.
• Discover exciting career options you may not have considered or know existed.

Recommended Career Research Process

Watch: How to do Labour Market Research

Reflect: How To Make Sense Of Your Career Research

Once you’ve completed some career research, it’s important to reflect on what you’ve discovered in order to determine your next steps.  Answer the following questions.

1. What roles and fields are emerging that are interesting to me?
2. How relevant are my transferable skills, knowledge and experience to the field(s) I have been researching?
3. Do jobs in this field align with my values? Can I create the kind of lifestyle I want?
4. What kind of skills and experience are essential to roles in this field?
5. What kind of experience or further education might I need to build to enter this field
6. Are there relevant entry level roles I can apply to right now?
7. What kind of role am I qualified for now that will help me get 1 step closer to the job I want in the future?

Quick Chapter Recap

• Labour market research helps you explore multiple career paths with real-world data.
• Use diverse resources—from job boards to professional networks—to gather both general and specific info.
• Reflect on your findings to decide which paths align with your skills, values, and goals.