If you have not viewed reports provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other statistic gathering organizations, you might not be aware of their usefulness. The BLS website provides the information in a clear, colorful and interesting format.

Reviewing labor statistics can provide individuals with knowledge about current and predicted labor conditions. Regional outlooks show job seekers where their particular skills might be in demand. Occupational Employment Statistics tell how many persons are employed in various occupations and their average annual income. Occupational Projections Data attempts to predict what occupations will be in the highest demand over a ten year period.

Following is a small selection of the topics covered by Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Career interest guides and requirements
• Reported wage by occupation, geographical area, education level, and gender
• Employment and unemployment rates within geographical locations and occupations
• Layoff reports
• Health care spending reports
• Emerging job markets
• Employee benefits data
• Workplace safety figures

You can explore occupations on Illinois workNet using key words or searching by career area, then look at the left menu for LMI to learn about wages and outlook for the specific occupation.

The Illinois workNet Labor Market page provides links to access labor statistics relevant to Illinois residents. Statistics from more than 100 agencies can be accessed through the links provided. Be sure to view the useful IDES Illinois Labor Market Information. Also available on the Illinois workNet Labor Market page are sector-specific resources. These links provide information on industries important to Illinois’s growth.

Additional Resources:

• Did you find you need more education to reach your career goals? Illinois workNet will help you locate programs in your area of the state. This includes apprenticeship programs.
• Are a laid off worker? You may be able to receive special assistance in getting training and in your job search.
• Investigate new and emerging jobs.
• View job training and other assistance for veterans.

• projected to have significant job openings or affect the growth of other industries,
• existing or emerging groups of industries being transformed by technology and innovation or economic conditions requiring new skills sets for workers.

1. Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
2. Health Care
3. Information Technology
4. Manufacturing
5. Transportation, Distribution and Logistics

You might also consider jobs in emerging industries, like alternative energy. Emerging jobs are newly created job postitions or occupations that are expected to have a rising number of job openings. On Illinois workNet you can watch a video and learn about careers as a:

• Biofuels Processing Technician,
• Medical Assistant, and
• Wind Turbine Technician.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in one of these areas, compare the skills you already have, with the required skills in a few careers of your choice. If you need to learn more to get a job, you can find education and training programs offered by public community colleges and universities, and private colleges, universities, technical/vocational schools, trade schools and more on each of the Key Sector pages.