About Labour Market Information (LMI)

Q1: What is LMI?

Labor Market Information is all the quantitative data, like numbers and statistics, and qualitative information, or the personal stories to support the data, related to employment and the workforce. The goal of LMI is to help customers make informed plans, choices, and decisions for a variety of purposes, including business investment decision making, career planning and preparation, education and training offerings, job search opportunities, hiring, and public or private workforce investments.

Q2: Who can use LMI?

LMI can be used by:

Job seekers
People currently employed
Students and parents
New Canadians
Business/economic development
Entrepreneurs and trainers
Guidance and employment counsellors
Policymakers

Q3: What is a NOC code?

A National Occupation Classification (NOC) code is a number used to classify occupations or groups of occupations. Individual occupations will be 5 digits, while occupational groups can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 digits.
For example, HVAC mechanics are listed under NOC 72402- Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.
NOC codes can be searched for by job title or NOC code here.

Q4: How do I find an occupation?

Employment and Social Development Canada has a valuable resource available for users that want to search for, and learn more about occupations. Some great information that users can access include:

Q5: What is a NAICS code?

A North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is a number assigned to each sector or industry. NAICS codes are 2-digits at the sector level, 3-digits at the sub-sector level, and 4-digits at the industry level. NAICS codes are also available as 5 and 6 digit codes.
For example, HVAC mechanics work in both NAICS 23 – Construction and NAICS 238220 – Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning mechanics.
NAICS codes can be searched for here.

Q6: How do I find an industry?

In total, there are over 900 Canadian industries listed in the NAICS, each with a different code to identify the specific industry. For a complete list of all of the NAICS codes, the NAICS structure, and related information, users can download the full PDF document at Statistics Canada – NAICS. Additional resources that users can access include:
• NAICS Structure;
• Search the NAICS

Q7: What is a median wage?

The median wage is the midpoint of wage earners in a given occupation. Half of workers will earn less than the median and half of workers will earn more. Median wages are often used instead of average wages, which can be susceptible to being skewed by large wage gaps.

Q8: What is a wage percentile?

Wage percentiles refer to where wages fall on a wage band. The difference in wages can be attributed to the employee’s level of experience, education, or specific job duties. A worker new to the field will likely earn wages around the 25th percentile or below, while workers with many years of experience will likely earn wages around the 75th percentile or above.

Q9: What are Economic Regions, Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions, Census Metropolitan Areas, Census Agglomerates, and Economic Regions?

A Census Division (CD) is a geographic region that has statistical data that is available for analysis purposes. Census Divisions in the EWIB catchment area include:
• United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
• Frontenac County
• Part of Lennox and Addington County

Census Subdivision (CSD) is the municipal level of geography. In the EWIB catchment area there are 19 CSDs:

United Counites of Leeds and Grenville
• Township of Athens
• Township of Augusta
• City of Brockville
• Town of Gananoque
• Municipality of North Grenville
• Town of Prescott
• Township of Elizabethtown Kitley
• Township of Front of Yonge
• Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
• Township of Rideau Lakes
• Township of Merrickville Wolford
• Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal
• Village of Westport

Frontenac County
• Township of South Frontenac
• Township of Central Frontenac
• Township of North Frontenac
• Township of Frontenac Islands
• City of Kingston

Part of Lennox and Addington County
• Loyalist Township

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is an area of at least 100,000 people situated around an urban core of which 50,000 or more live in the core. The EWIB catchment area has one (1) CMA, the Kingston CMA. The Kingston CMA is made up of the following Census Sub-Divisions:
• City of Kingston
• South Frontenac
• Frontenac Islands
• Loyalist Township

A Census Agglomerate (CA) is an area situated around an urban core of at least 10,000 people. There is only on CA EWIB’s catchment area and that is the City of Brockville.

An Economic Region (ER) is a collection of Census Divisions. The are two (2) Economic Regions covering the EWIB’s catchment area:

Ottawa Economic Region 3510
Includes Census Divisions of:
• Leeds and Grenville United Counties (in EWIB’s area)
• Ottawa Division
• Prescott and Russell United Counties
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties

Kingston-Pembroke Economic Region 3515
• Frontenac County (in EWIB’s area)
• Hastings County
• Lennox and Addington County (part in EWIB’s area – Loyalist Township)
• Prince Edward Division

Q10: How is the labour force calculated?

The labour force is the population over the age of 15 who are working or are currently looking for work.

Q11: How is the participation rate calculated?

Participation Rate = # of people in the labour force / # of people over the age of 15

Q12: How is the unemployment rate calculated?

Unemployment Rate = # of people looking for work / number of people in the labour force

Q13: How is the employment rate calculated?

Employment Rate = # of people working / population over the age of 15

Q14: What is the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC)?

The Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) is a not-for-profit organization established to identify and implement pan-Canadian priorities to address the need for more consistent and accessible labour market information for Canadians.

Examples of LMI Data Tables