Labour market information (LMI) can be very useful for people looking for a career path or a job. CDPs are expected to select, use, and share this information in a variety of forms with their clients, depending on their specific needs.
Milot-Lapointe, Savard and Paquette consider LMI to be an important tool for orienting oneself to the job market. However, LMI is often difficult to interpret, particularly given the vast amount of information available on the Internet – not all of which is of high quality. In reviewing scientific articles on the subject, the authors found that LMI seems to be used more optimally by clients when CDPs support them through the process. However, these studies have methodological shortcomings and date back several years, which is why the authors did their own study.
This article looks at the difference between autonomous (without help from a counsellor) and assisted (with help from a counsellor) use of LMI. It also asks whether this difference is greater for people in the process of choosing a career path or for those seeking employment.
For this purpose, the authors randomly divided the 203 participants (51% women and 49% men) into two groups; one assisted by a CDP, the other not. With the help of the CDPs, they set up one LMI binder for job search and a second for career choice. The binders were distributed, and those in the “assisted” group received help from a counselor to go through them. Four weeks after giving the binders to the participants, the authors conducted a survey to assess their knowledge of LMI, their skills in using LMI, and their level of confidence and optimism about achieving their career goals, both before and after the process.
The results show that LMI is indeed useful for providing guidance to clients, both with and without support from a counsellor. The authors also point out that people who used LMI with the help of a CDP noted a significant improvement in their knowledge, skills, and optimism about their future career path. They also reported more often that they had developed an action plan (94% for assisted vs. 78% for autonomous), increasing their chances of achieving their career goals.
Finally, the authors point out that both job seekers and those in guidance counselling benefitted from the assistance of a CDP when accessing and using LMI. With that said, the positive impact of the assistance of a CDP is even greater for people in guidance counselling.
This study by Milot-Lapointe, Savard, and Paquette showed that the effects of LMI are greater for people who are accompanied by a professional than for those who proceed on their own. However, the authors point out that the creation of personalized LMI binders by CDPs, which are easy to read and interpret, is extremely beneficial for customers – especially in a context of information overload on digital platforms.
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