Employers and the Local Labour Market

What is the local Labour Market?

The local Labour Market is term used to describe the local economy or the working world – the local jobs and opportunities that exist, the sectors and occupational areas they are in and the employers and local business’s which make these up together with the people within a local area who can do those jobs. As in any ‘Market’ there is an exchange – the exchange of skills, competencies and labour of the person for the salary and security of a job offered by an employer.

What is Labour Market Information? (LMI)

Labour Market Information then, describes different aspects of the labour market – the number of jobs in an area, the type of jobs, the skills needed by those jobs, where those jobs are geographically located across an area, how many people there are locally who can fill those jobs. It also describes the qualifications, entry routes and salaries for those jobs.

How is it useful for young people to know about LMI?

Apart from knowing useful information like what occupational sectors there are locally or which skills and qualifications are needed for certain jobs or how much those jobs pay, keeping up to date with what is happening in the labour market is an important part of finding a job. For example, knowing that a potential new employer is going to be setting up near you gives you an advantage if it is an area you are interested in. Learning how to make use of LMI is an important tool in your job search strategy and can help you make career related decisions.

What is LMI used for?

LMI is used by local authorities and organisations concerned with the economy to analyse the emerging trends and skills demands within the local labour market and to consider what other factors might affect that labour market – for example the recent pandemic and subsequent lockdown has had a significant impact on the labour market as many employers had to close, , shops, bars and restaurants ceased trading, and people were laid off or furloughed as a consequence. This will shape the economy for some time to come. LMI is analysed at a local, regional and national level and used to make decisions and plans to try and improve or stimulate a local economy. Organisations who have an interest in skills and the local labour market include:

What is the Local Skills Improvement Plan? (LSIP)

The LSIP is a plan drawn up across the region in collaboration with local employers, SME’s, colleges, training providers and employer representative bodies to identify the local skills needs and solutions which need addressing locally within our key labour market sectors:

  •  Engineering and Manufacturing
  •  Construction
  •  Digital (includes IT and Technology)
  •  Visitor and Cultural Industries (includes Hospitality, Cultural & Arts)
  •  Land-based (includes Agriculture and Viticulture)
  •  Health and Care (includes Bio Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical)

The ‘Case for Change’ presentation can be viewed here.

Dv8 Sussex has been part of that collaborative process as a local digital and creative college as it is crucial that the courses we provide and skills we develop in young people are aligned to the future and emerging needs of the local digital economy.

How Dv8 works with local employers

Dv8 Sussex work with a number of employers, digital and creative organisations and other key stakeholders:

  • We have links with local industries who offer work experience or industry placements to our learners in Media Production, Music Production and Games Development
  • Speakers from local organisations visit the college to attend Careers events or give talks on their Career journey, current trends in their industry, how they recruit and what they are looking for in an employee
  • Representatives from creative and digital organisations contribute to our enrichment programme by offering a ‘Masterclass’ or Creative Workshop showcasing a particular skill, technique or industry specific equipment or tools
  • Creative and digital organisations extend invitations to our learners to participate in community based events like After Dark (Bexhill), Fat Tuesday (Hastings), Un-Convention (Hastings), The Great Escape (Brighton), Waterbear (Brighton) and Lookout (Brighton Fringe Festival)
  • A number of organisations offer community based Social Action Projects for our learners including Lymley Woods CiC, ONE Church and Community Centre, Portslade Neighbourhood Action Group, Surfers against Sewage, and Ramshackled.
  • Employers from the digital and music sectors contribute to our ‘Industry Forums’ where they review our current syllabuses and give advice regarding suitability to prepare learners for the workplace and to ensure that skills and knowledge being developed is aligned to local need.

Some of the Employers and Creative and Digital Organisations we have worked with include:

BELOW IS THE LMI CAREEROMETER. USE THIS RESOURCE TO SEARCH AND COMPARE CAREER SALARIES, SKILLS AND OTHER DETAILS.

Are you a local organisation based around Brighton or Bexhill?

We have over 200 students across both our campuses looking for meaningful work experience placements throughout the year.

If you are an employer who is able to offer a work experience opportunity or you have any questions about our employer engagement work, Industry Placement programme or work experience please contact our Stakeholder Engagement Co-ordinator, Louis Elkhatib on l.elkhatib@londonlc.org.uk