Qualitative Research on Labour Market Information Products Research Report

Executive Summary

Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) is pleased to present this report to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) summarizing the results of the online communities with Canadians about existing labour market information (LMI) products.

Budget 2015 announced enhancements to labour market information. The 2016 Budget reiterated commitments to provide “access to timely, reliable, and comprehensive LMI…” and to work “collaboratively with PT”. The FLMM also announced commitments to improve the collection; quality and dissemination of labour market information (LMI) to enable Canadians make informed labour market decisions and contribute to aligning human capital investment with the needs of the economy. This commitment was reiterated by the FLMM at their meeting in October 2017.

The National Work Plan (NWP) for LMI was developed in 2011 in recognition of the growing importance of providing local/regional LMI that is consistent and comparable across the country, to support both the labour market decisions of Canadian workers and employers, and the delivery of key programs. The NWP initially addressed the asymmetrical quality and quantity of labour market information being produced in the regions at the time. This process introduced the notion of “accountability” and performance standards for the spending of funds on regional labour market information.

Subsequent iterations of the NWP (NWP II, III and IV) sought to further streamline the department’s regional LMI offerings to standardized products and services. Those products and services stemmed from five core regional LMI functions:

1. determining labour market outlooks;
2. monitoring Labour Market News;
3. conducting labour market analysis;
4. providing occupational information; and
5. supporting Service Canada operations.

In its current version, the NWP for the production of regional LMI is based on an integrated analytical exercise that starts with a macro-economic scan and culminates with the assessment of employment outlooks for occupations at the local level and the 4-digit NOC level. A core standardized product is generated at each stage and made available to the external public via Job Bank. Similarly, the analytical exercise results in the generation of internal products to support the regional delivery of programs and services.

Currently, six external products are published as part of the NWP integrated exercise conducted through a detailed calendar. These six products are:

1. Wages,
2. Outlooks;
3. Weekly Labour Market News;
4. Labour Market Bulletins (monthly/quarterly/annual);
5. Environmental Scan; and
6. Sectoral Profiles.

In April 2017, the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) was established. The LMIC is tasked to implement pan-Canadian priorities for the collection, analysis and distribution of Labour Market Information (LMI), including:

• addressing the need for more granular local LMI;
• prioritizing consistency of LMI through alignment of standards and methodologies; and
• working with stakeholders to develop and promote a collaborative platform for disseminating LMI for Canadians.

In addition, a new LMI Dissemination/Visualization Tool is being developed that will allow a wide array of LMI to be presented to the user based on his/her selection of a particular geography and/or theme, thus making the “packaging” of LMI products into small “‘tag’-able” sections that could be assembled, based on their relevance, to provide a customized LMI experience for the user.

In light of these emerging and changing environmental factors, a thorough analysis of the current products based on various user’s needs and expectations was needed to enable the Department to determine the appropriate suite of LMI products to develop and effectively disseminate to the public. More specifically, the objectives of this research were to:

• ensure LMI products meet user needs (for both format and information);
• determine what gaps exist; and
• determine what, if any, other LMI Canadians need to make informed career/training decisions.

The results of this research will enable ESDC to plan and develop LMI products to meet the needs of users in a more appropriate manner and format, as well as to determine what other products and/or information could be useful to make informed training and job-search decisions.

To meet the objectives outlined, Earnscliffe conducted a comprehensive wave of qualitative research. The research included twelve online communities, one in English and one in French for each of six target audiences:

• Post-Secondary Students (university, college, apprenticeship);
• Employed youth (16-24, working full time and not in school or training);
• Unemployed youth (16-24, not working FT and not in school or training);
• Adults 25+ who are seeking or considering new career opportunities;
• Parents of youth 16-24; and
• Influencers (career counsellors & advisors).

The groups identified above, chosen for this study, are a subset of the overall target audience of the LMI products. Other target audiences, which were not included in this research, are employers, other federal departments, other levels of government, think tanks, and academica, among others.

The online communities were held over the course of six days, from March 15, 2018 to March 20, 2018. The communities were hosted online by Recollective, an industry-leading research tool for developing robust insights communities and conducting online research studies of any duration and size. Recollective was developed by the Ramius Corporation (Ramius), an enterprise social software and services company.

For the purposes of this report, it is important to note that qualitative research is a form of scientific, social, policy and public opinion research. Qualitative research, such as the online communities conducted for this project, is designed to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences and opinions of a selected sample of participants on a defined topic. Because of the small numbers involved the participants cannot be expected to be thoroughly representative in a statistical sense of the six target audiences for LMI products from which they were drawn and findings cannot reliably be generalized beyond their number.

The total cost to conduct this research was $98,613.97 including HST. The key findings from the research are presented below.

Overall Observations

• Overall, participants felt that the Job Bank site contains valuable and detailed information. The content presented generally exceeded participants’ expectations. There were notable differences from one segment to another, indicating there may not be a “one-size fits all” solution.
• However, as valuable as the content is, participants did not believe that on the whole, it was the most useful and functional tool for job searching and making decisions about education and training.
• Participants wished certain types of information were presented in a more user-friendly format, with more visuals, and the ability to sort and search.
• The most useful tools – the Wages and Outlook tabs – were highly rated because they were perceived to be simpler, geographically targeted and relevant.
• The least useful tools – including the EScan – were usually considered less useful due to being text-heavy, making it harder to find relevant information and understand the implications for participants’ purposes.

Jobs Report

• Overall, this section of the Job Bank was the most useful for participants.
• The Wages tab was consistently regarded as the most helpful and relatively clear tool. Participants appreciated the range of wages, and that they could examine the data for a smaller geographic area and then compare it to the rest of the province or country.
  • Constructive feedback included adding information about health and retirement benefits, and the number of years worked in the field before one could reasonably expect to be paid the maximum salary.
• The Outlook tab was among the more highly rated elements tested. Participants liked the information about skills and training, and appreciated that tab presented the number of jobs in a specific region. Any information about the potential for employment, rather than historic data, was well-received.
• Suggested improvement largely had to do with getting more specific, including linking to actual job postings, listing employers who are hiring, and clarifying the legend that explains the star ratings, and providing ratings out of five stars, rather than three. Participants were not sure what a particular rating meant, and their responses indicate that they did not notice the link on top of the Outlook page which leads to a detailed explanation of the rating system. It is worth noting that since participants were reviewing an image of the Outlook tab rather than a live webpage, the link would not have worked if they attempted to click on it.

Labour Market News and Bulletin

• The Labour Market News was among the least helpful resources presented. Participants agreed the news stories might contain helpful information, but would not use it because they found that the tool is not organized or easily searchable.
  • Participants felt that the list of news stories should be sortable by province and date, as well as searchable, according to participants. Currently, the news stories are searchable by city and postal code, industry and type of event, but findings indicate that participants either did not find or use this function.
  • The headlines should also be more concise – participants felt they were too long, and often after reading them they did not feel as though they wanted to read further.
• Participants reacted similarly to the Labour Market Bulletin. When made to read through the bulletin, they found valuable information. Over half rated many of the elements, including employment growth over time and employment by industry, as helpful. However, most agreed that reading through the whole document was not an efficient way to find that information.

EScans

• The EScan was the least helpful resource presented.
  • Employed youth and job seekers 25 and older were the least likely to find the EScans helpful.
  • Most participants felt the document was too long and difficult to understand. They felt that the information should be presented through the use of graphs and images, rather than text.
• The key highlights were the most useful component - the summary was generally preferred to reading the whole document.
• Some did find the information interesting, but felt that it was excessive and not entirely appropriate in a job search.
  • Several mentioned that this type of information would be of great use to labour market economists, but not the average job searcher.

Sectoral Profiles

• After the Wage and Outlook tabs, the sectoral profile was the third most helpful resource tested.
  • Post-secondary students were the most likely to find this resource helpful.
• The positive aspects included:
  • The information was interesting, particularly for those who were able to find a sector profile related to their own work, or a field they were familiar in some other way (e.g. their spouse works in the field).
  • The use of charts, graphs and bullet points to better organize the information
  • Forecasting elements were the most helpful of those tested, including the employment outlook.
• Despite finding the Sectoral Profiles more user-friendly than some of the other denser resources, participants offered some constructive criticism and suggestions:
  • Include less data about past trends, and more future projections.
  • Despite finding the information interesting, the consensus was that there was too much of it, minimizing the resource’s utility.
  • Though the resource’s organization and layout was better than the EScan, many offered solutions to make it more user friendly, including adding a table of contents.

Research Firm:

Earnscliffe Strategy Group Inc. (Earnscliffe)
Contract Number: G9292-180537/001/CY
Contract award date: February 15, 2018

I hereby certify as a Representative of Earnscliffe Strategy Group that the final deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.

Signed:

Date: May 23, 2018
Doug Anderson
Principal, Earnscliffe

Résumé analytique

L’agence Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) est heureuse de remettre à Emploi et Développement social Canada (EDSC) son rapport sur les résultats d’une recherche sur des communautés en ligne menée auprès de Canadiens et portant sur les produits existants d’information sur le marché du travail (IMT).

Dans le Budget 2015, on a annoncé des améliorations à l’information sur le marché du travail. Le Budget 2016 a réitéré ces engagements pour un « accès à une IMT à jour, fiable et complète » et a promis de travailler « en collaboration avec les provinces et territoires ». Le Forum des ministres du marché du travail (FMMT) a également annoncé vouloir améliorer la cueillette, la qualité et la diffusion de l’information sur le marché du travail pour permettre aux Canadiens de prendre des décisions éclairées et pour adapter les investissements en capital humain aux besoins de l’économie. Cet engagement a été répété par le FMMT lors d’une rencontre tenue en octobre 2017.

Le Plan de travail national (PTN) pour l’IMT a été élaboré en 2011 en reconnaissance de l’importance accrue d’offrir une IMT locale/régionale cohérente et comparable partout au pays, dans le but de soutenir les décisions des travailleurs et des employeurs canadiens concernant le marché du travail ainsi que la prestation de programmes clés. Le PTN traitait initialement de la qualité et de la quantité asymétrique de l’IMT produite dans les régions à ce moment-là. Ce processus a ajouté la notion de « responsabilisation » et de normes de rendement pour la dépense de fonds dans l’information sur le marché du travail.

Dans les versions successives du PTN (PTN II, III et IV), on a cherché à simplifier davantage l’IMT régionale du ministère afin de normaliser les produits et services. Ces produits et services découlent de cinq fonctions essentielles de l’IMT :

• déterminer les perspectives du marché du travail;
• surveiller les tendances du marché du travail;
• mener des analyses du marché du travail;
• fournir de l’information sur le travail; et
• soutenir les activités de Service Canada.

Dans sa version actuelle, le PTN pour la production d’IMT régionale se fonde sur un exercice analytique intégré qui commence par une analyse macroéconomique et qui culmine avec l’évaluation des perspectives d’emploi pour des postes à l’échelon local et à celui de la CNP à quatre chiffres (classification nationale des professions). Le système génère un produit de base normalisé à chaque étape et le met à la disposition du public, par l’entremise du Guichet-Emplois. De la même façon, l’exercice analytique entraîne la génération de produits internes au soutien de la prestation de programmes et services à l’échelle régionale.

Actuellement, six produits externes sont publiés dans le cadre de l’exercice intégré du PTN mené selon un calendrier détaillé. Ces six produits sont :

• Salaires,
• Perspectives;
• Nouvelles hebdomadaires sur le marché du travail;
• Bulletins sur le marché du travail (mensuels/trimestriels/annuels);
• Analyse de l’environnement économique; et
• Portraits sectoriels.

En avril 2017, le Conseil de l’information sur le marché du travail (CIMT) a été établi. Le CIMT a pour mandat de formuler les priorités pancanadiennes pour la collecte, l’analyse et la distribution de l’IMT (information sur le marché du travail), y compris :

• répondre au besoin d’une IMT locale plus détaillée;
• prioriser la cohérence de l’IMT par l’harmonisation des normes et des méthodologies; et
• travailler de concert avec les intervenants pour élaborer et promouvoir une plateforme collaborative pour la diffusion d’IMT aux Canadiens.

D’autre part, on développe un nouvel Outil de diffusion/de visualisation de l’IMT, grâce auquel une large gamme d’IMT sera présentée à l’utilisateur, en fonction de son choix d’un thème ou d’une région en particulier, ce qui morcellerait « l’emballage » des produits d’IMT en petites sections qui seraient assemblées en fonction de leur pertinence, afin de procurer une expérience personnalisée à l’utilisateur.

À la lumière de ces facteurs environnementaux nouveaux et changeants, il est devenu nécessaire de faire une analyse en profondeur des produits actuels, en fonction des divers besoins et attentes des utilisateurs, pour permettre au Ministère de définir la gamme appropriée de produits d’IMT à développer et à diffuser de façon efficace. Plus particulièrement, la recherche avait pour objectif de :

• faire en sorte que les produits d’IMT répondent aux besoins des utilisateurs (pour ce qui est du format et de l’information);
• évaluer l’existence de lacunes; et
• définir, le cas échéant, les autres IMT dont les Canadiens pourraient avoir besoin pour prendre des décisions éclairées sur leur carrière/formation.

Les résultats de cette recherche permettront à EDSC de planifier et de préparer des produits d’IMT mieux adaptés aux besoins des utilisateurs, et d’établir quels autres produits ou renseignements seraient utiles pour prendre des décisions éclairées en matière de formation et de recherche d’emploi.

Pour atteindre les objectifs décrits, Earnscliffe a mené une série de séances de recherche qualitative qui comprenait douze communautés en ligne, une en anglais et une en français pour chacune des audiences cibles :

• Étudiants du niveau postsecondaire (université, collège, apprentissage);
• Jeunes travailleurs (16-24 ans, travaillant à temps plein et pas aux études ou en formation);
• Jeunes sans emploi (16-24 ans, ne travaillant pas à temps plein et pas aux études ou en formation);
• Adultes de 25 ans et plus à la recherche d’un nouvel emploi ou d’une nouvelle opportunité professionnelle;
• Parents de jeunes de 16-24 ans; et
• Influenceurs (conseillers en orientation).

Les groupes mentionnés ci-dessus et choisis pour cette étude, sont des sous-groupes de l’audience cible générale des produits d’IMT. Les autres groupes cibles qui n’ont pas été inclus dans cette recherche sont, entre autres, les employeurs, d’autres ministères fédéraux, d’autres ordres de gouvernement, des groupes de réflexion ainsi que des universitaires.

Les communautés en ligne ont été tenues sur une période de six jours, du 15 au 20 mars 2018, par Recollective, un outil de recherche de pointe conçu pour susciter de solides idées au sujet des collectivités et mener des études de recherche en ligne de n’importe quelle durée ou portée. Recollective a été élaboré par Ramius Corporation (Ramius), un fournisseur de logiciels sociaux et de services pour les entreprises.

Pour les fins du présent rapport, il est important de noter que la recherche qualitative est une forme de recherche scientifique, sociale, politique et d’opinion publique. La recherche qualitative, à l’aide de communautés en ligne comme dans le présent projet, n’est pas conçue pour susciter une gamme complète d’idées, d’attitudes, d’expériences et d’opinions d’un échantillonnage choisi de participants sur un sujet défini. En raison de leur petit nombre, on ne peut attendre des participants qu’ils soient totalement représentatifs, au sens statistique, des six audiences ciblées pour les produits d’IMT dont ils sont tirés et les conclusions ne peuvent être généralisées de façon fiable au-delà de leur nombre.

La valeur contractuelle totale de cette recherche a été de 98 613,97 $ incluant la TVH. Les principales conclusions de la recherche sont présentées ci-dessous.

Observations générales

• En général, les participants étaient d’avis que le site du Guichet-Emplois contient des renseignements précieux et détaillés. En général, le contenu présenté a dépassé les attentes des participants. On a constaté des notable différences d’un segment à l’autre, ce qui indique qu’il n’y a pas une solution « toute faite ».
• Cependant, aussi précieux que soit le contenu, en général, les participants n’étaient pas d’avis que c’était l’outil le plus utile et le plus fonctionnel pour rechercher un emploi et prendre des décisions en matière d’éducation et de formation.
• Les participants ont souhaité que certains types de renseignements soient présentés dans un format plus convivial, avec un plus grand nombre de visuels et la possibilité de faire un tri et des recherches.
• Les outils les plus utiles – onglets Salaires et Perspectives – ont reçu une cote élevée parce qu’ils ont été perçus comme étant plus simples, ciblés géographiquement et pertinents.
• Les outils considérés les moins utiles – y compris l’AEE – l’ont été généralement en raison de la lourdeur du texte, ce qui a compliqué la tâche de trouver de l’information pertinente et de comprendre les incidences pour les objectifs des participants.

Rapport sur l’emploi

• Dans l’ensemble, cette section du Guichet-Emplois a été vue comme la plus utile par les participants.
• L’onglet Salaires a constamment été considéré comme le plus utile et comme un outil relativement clair. Les participants ont apprécié la gamme de salaires et le fait qu’ils pouvaient étudier les données d’une région plus petite pour les comparer ensuite au reste de la province ou du pays.
  • Parmi les commentaires constructifs soumis, on compte l’ajout d’information sur les prestations de santé et de retraite, et sur le nombre d’années de travail à cumuler dans un domaine avant de pouvoir s’attendre à toucher l’échelon supérieur du salaire.
• L’onglet Perspectives a été l’un des éléments étudiés les mieux cotés. Les participants ont aimé les renseignements sur les compétences et la formation et ils ont aimé que cet onglet indique le nombre d’emplois dans une région spécifique. Toute information sur les possibilités d’emploi, plutôt que les données historiques, a été bien reçue.
• Les améliorations proposées portaient largement sur le fait d’être plus précis, y compris l’ajout de liens vers des offres d’emploi, une liste des employeurs qui embauchent, une légende d’explication plus claire du classement par étoiles, et un classement sur cinq étoiles plutôt que trois. Les participants n’étaient pas certains de la signification d’un certain classement et leurs réponses indiquent qu’ils n’ont pas vu le lien en haut de la page Perspectives, lequel mène à une explication détaillée du système de classement. Il convient de noter que, comme les participants étudiaient une image de l’onglet Perspectives plutôt qu’une page Web en direct, le lien n’aurait pas fonctionné s’ils avaient tenté de cliquer dessus.

Nouvelles et Bulletin sur le marché du travail

• Les Nouvelles sur le marché du travail ont été l’une des ressources les moins utiles à être présentées. Les participants ont convenu que les articles pouvaient contenir des renseignements utiles mais qu’ils ne les auraient pas consultés parce que, selon eux, cet outil n’est ni organisé ni facilement accessible.
  • Les participants ont estimé qu’on devrait pouvoir trier la liste d’articles par province et par date, et qu’elle devrait être consultable. En fait, on peut effectuer des recherches par ville et par code postal, par secteur et par type d’activité; nous en avons conclu que les participants n’ont pas trouvé ou qu’ils n’ont pas utilisé cette fonction.
  • Les titres devraient être plus concis – les participants ont estimé qu’ils étaient trop longs et souvent, après les avoir lus, ils n’avaient pas envie de poursuivre la lecture des articles.
• Les participants ont réagi de manière similaire au Bulletin sur le marché du travail. Quand on leur a demandé de lire le bulletin, ils y ont trouvé des renseignements utiles. Plus de la moitié d’entre eux ont évalué plusieurs éléments comme étant utiles, notamment la croissance de l’emploi au fil du temps et par secteur. Cependant, la plupart ont convenu que lire tout le document n’était pas un moyen efficace de trouver cette information.

Analyse de l’environnement économique (AEE)

• L’AEE a été la ressource la moins utile présentée.
  • Les jeunes travailleurs et les chercheurs d’emploi de 25 ans et plus ont été les moins enclins à qualifier l’AEE d’utile.
  • La plupart des participants ont estimé que le document était trop long ou difficile à comprendre. Ils étaient d’avis que les renseignements devraient être présentés à l’aide de diagrammes et d’images, plutôt que du texte.
• L’Aperçu a été l’élément le plus utile – les participants ont préféré lire l’aperçu plutôt que tout le document.
• Certains ont trouvé l’information intéressante mais ils ont pensé qu’elle était excessive et pas nécessairement appropriée à une recherche d’emploi.
  • Plusieurs ont mentionné que ce type de renseignement serait très utile pour des économistes du marché du travail mais pas pour les chercheurs d’emploi ordinaires.

Portraits sectoriels

• Après les onglets Salaires et Perspectives, le Portrait sectoriel a été la troisième ressource analysée jugée utile.
  • Les étudiants du niveau postsecondaire ont été les plus enclins à trouver cette ressource utile.
• Les aspects positifs incluaient :
  • L’information est intéressante, en particulier, pour les personnes qui arrivent à trouver un portrait sectoriel lié à leur propre travail ou un champ qui leur est autrement familier (par ex. leur conjoint travaille dans ce domaine).
  • Le recours à des diagrammes, graphiques et puces pour mieux organiser l’information.
  • Les éléments de prévision étudiés ont été les plus utiles, y compris les perspectives d’emploi.
• Bien qu’ils aient trouvé les portraits sectoriels plus conviviaux que certaines autres ressources plus denses, les participants ont fait certaines critiques et suggestions constructives :
  • Inclure moins de données sur les tendances passées et plus de projections pour l’avenir.
  • Même si l’information les a intéressés, le consensus était qu’il y en avait trop ce qui a pour effet de diminuer l’utilité de la ressource.
  • Bien que l’organisation et la mise en page de la ressource étaient meilleures que dans le cas de l’AEE, plusieurs ont suggéré des solutions pour la rendre plus conviviale, comme l’ajout d’une table des matières.

Société responsable de la recherche :

Earnscliffe Strategy Group Inc. (Earnscliffe)
Numéro de contrat : G9292-180537/001/CY
Date d’attribution du contrat : 15 février 2018

Par la présente, j’atteste, en ma qualité de représentant pour la société Earnscliffe, que les produits livrables définitifs sont entièrement conformes aux exigences du gouvernement du Canada en matière de neutralité politique, telles que définies dans la politique de communication du gouvernement du Canada et dans la procédure de planification et d’attribution de marchés de services de recherche sur l’opinion publique. Plus particulièrement, les produits livrables ne font aucune mention des intentions de vote électoral, des préférences quant aux partis politiques, des positions des partis ou de l’évaluation de la performance d’un parti politique ou de son chef.

Signature             

Date : 23 mai 2018
Doug Anderson
Partenaire, Earnscliffe

Introduction

Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) is pleased to present this report to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) summarizing the results of the online communities with Canadians about existing labour market information (LMI) products.

Budget 2015 announced enhancements to labour market information. The 2016 Budget reiterated commitments to provide “access to timely, reliable, and comprehensive LMI…” and to work “collaboratively with PT”. The FLMM also announced commitments to improve the collection; quality and dissemination of labour market information (LMI) to enable Canadians make informed labour market decisions and contribute to aligning human capital investment with the needs of the economy. This commitment was reiterated by the FLMM at their meeting in October 2017.

The National Work Plan (NWP) for LMI was developed in 2011 in recognition of the growing importance of providing local/regional LMI that is consistent and comparable across the country, to support both the labour market decisions of Canadian workers and employers, and the delivery of key programs. The NWP initially addressed the asymmetrical quality and quantity of labour market information being produced in the regions at the time. This process introduced the notion of “accountability” and performance standards for the spending of funds on regional labour market information.

Subsequent iterations of the NWP (NWP II, III and IV) sought to further streamline the department’s regional LMI offerings to standardized products and services. Those products and services stemmed from five core regional LMI functions:

1. determining labour market outlooks;
2. monitoring Labour Market News;
3. conducting labour market analysis;
4. providing occupational information; and
5. supporting Service Canada operations.

In its current version, the NWP for the production of regional LMI is based on an integrated analytical exercise that starts with a macro-economic scan and culminates with the assessment of employment outlooks for occupations at the local level and the 4-digit NOC level. A core standardized product is generated at each stage and made available to the external public via Job Bank. Similarly the analytical exercise results in the generation of internal products to support the regional delivery of programs and services.

Currently, six external products are published as part of the NWP integrated exercise conducted through a detailed calendar. These six products are:

1. Wages;
2. Outlooks;
3. Weekly Labour Market News;
4. Labour Market Bulletins (monthly/quarterly/annual);
5. Environmental Scan; and
6. Sectoral Profiles.

In April 2017, the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) was established. The LMIC is tasked to implement pan-Canadian priorities for the collection, analysis and distribution of Labour Market Information (LMI), including:

• addressing the need for more granular local LMI;
• prioritizing consistency of LMI through alignment of standards and methodologies; and
• working with stakeholders to develop and promote a collaborative platform for disseminating LMI for Canadians.

In addition, a new LMI Dissemination/Visualization Tool is being developed that will allow a wide array of LMI to be presented to the user based on his/her selection of a particular geography and/or theme, thus making the “packaging” of LMI products into small “‘tag’-able” sections that could be assembled, based on their relevance, to provide a customized LMI experience for the user.

In light of these emerging and changing environmental factors, a thorough analysis of the current products based on various user’s needs and expectations was needed to enable the Department to determine the appropriate suite of LMI products to develop and effectively disseminate to the public. More specifically, the objectives of this research were to:

• ensure LMI products meet user needs (for both format and information);
• determine what gaps exist; and
• determine what, if any, other LMI Canadians need to make informed career/training decisions.

The results of this research will enable the Department to plan and develop LMI products to meet the needs of users in a more appropriate manner and format, as well as to determine what other products and/or information could be useful to make informed training and job-search decisions.

To meet the objectives outlined, Earnscliffe conducted a comprehensive wave of qualitative research. The research included twelve online communities, one in English and one in French for each of six target audiences:

• Post-Secondary Students (university, college, apprenticeship);
• Employed youth (16-24, working full time and not in school or training);
• Unemployed youth (16-24, not working FT and not in school or training);
• Adults 25+ who are seeking or considering new career opportunities;
• Parents of youth 16-24; and
• Influencers (career counsellors & advisors).

The online communities were held over the course of six days, from March 15, 2018 to March 20, 2018. Ten participants were recruited for each community. Each day, participants were asked to spend approximately 30 minutes completing the activities online and responding to questions. Participants received a $200 honorarium in appreciation of their time. The communities were hosted online by Recollective, an industry-leading research tool for developing robust insights communities and conducting online research studies of any duration and size. Recollective was developed by the Ramius Corporation (Ramius), an enterprise social software and services company.

For the purposes of this report, it is important to note that qualitative research is a form of scientific, social, policy and public opinion research. Focus group research is designed to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences and opinions of a selected sample of participants on a defined topic. Because of the small numbers involved the participants cannot be expected to be thoroughly representative in a statistical sense of the target audiences for

LMI products from which they were drawn and findings cannot reliably be generalized beyond their number. In addition, some percentages used to report findings in this report may not add to 100%, due to rounding.

Detailed Findings

This qualitative report is divided into 7 sections. For many of the aspects tested, after visiting the web page in question, respondents were provided with an image that depicted what they saw or something similar to what they would have seen and asked to indicate which elements, if any, they found were helpful (marked with green check-marks) and which, if any, they found were unhelpful, confusing or lacking in some way (marked with a red “x”). In the sections below, several of these images are provided with the aggregate mark-up of one group or another.

Jobs Report

Figure 1: Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

Jobs Report – Helpful or Unhelpful?

The Job Report tested in this study (structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters in the Toronto region) received, on balance, positive reviews. About half (47%) of the participants found this information helpful, while the other half (51%) reported the information was neither helpful nor unhelpful. Very few said the information was unhelpful. Parents and influencers were more inclined to rate the information as helpful, although comments were similarly complementary across all groups. Most participants felt that all the information they would need when searching for a job, including job title, date of posting, pay, location, and source of posting, were relatively easy to find. They also appreciated that the information for many jobs was centralized, eliminating the need to search many job sites. Criticism was minor and participants offered constructive suggestions. One was to include the link to the actual job posting or how to apply on the main job bank table, rather than clicking through to the next page. It was also suggested that the job descriptions could be a little easier to find, and the job titles on the first pages should be capitalized and written in a more formal manner. A few also felt the site was cluttered, little too “busy”, and could use an update visually.

In Their Own Words

“Very thorough! If I were looking for employment, there are 3 things I look for: the pay rate, location, and the source. This website had all 3 of these things and more. I would recommend this website to a friend for sure!”

“Does a good job explaining the job and duties, with thorough bullet points. Couldn't initially find where to find the description, etc, but found it quickly after.

I like the section for employment potential, is helping if I was thinking about going into this profession. Provides helpful links to school offering programs, but I'd like to see the requirements before clicking the links.

Average wage is a very helpful tool.”

“Overall a straightforward layout. The icon style and colouring does appear dated, but that's neither here nor there. I would suggest pulling compensation data to complete the information. A sorting option for the distance from my home postal code would be very helpful.”

“Beaucoup d'informations pertinentes sont données comme les emplois similaires et la description détaillée de l'emploi. Seul défaut selon moi est l'aspect esthétique qui n'est ni raffiné ni moderne.”

“Fort intéressant de voir sur un même site/page les opportunités d’emploi et les données en lien avec les perspectives d’emploi, le salaire, etc.”

Outlook and Wages Tabs

The Wages tab was consistently regarded as the most helpful and relatively clear tool. As evidenced by the photo markups below, participants appreciated the range of wages, and that they could examine the data for a smaller geographic area and then compare it to the rest of the province or country.

Constructive feedback included adding information about health and retirement benefits, sources, and the number of years worked in the field before one could reasonably expect to be paid the maximum salary.

Figure 2: Wages Tab Image Review – Post-secondary students EN

Text description of Wages Tab Image Review – Post-secondary students EN

Figure 3: Wages Tab Image Review - Influencers FR

Text description of Wages Tab Image Review – Influencers FR

In Their Own Words

“Explaining the conditions for low/high wages, including how job experience and education can play a role in determining this.”

“I wanted to know the sources of the information [sic], where wage was being pulled from and from how many people”

“I do like to know the median for a position so that I can gauge if my value is higher or lower than the average.”

"Le salaire minimal, médian, et maximal sont très pertinents et très peu de sites le font. Par contre le fait qu'il n'y ai pas de précision sur le temps à faire dans l'emplois pour avoir ces salaires est décevant et devrait définitivement être ajouté. L'experience requise pour avoir le salaire max devrait être incluse ainsi que pour le salaire médian."

The Outlook tab was among the more highly rated elements tested. Participants liked the information about skills and training, and appreciated that tab presented the number of jobs in a specific region. Any information about the potential for employment, rather than historic data, was well-received.

Suggested improvement largely had to do with getting more specific, including linking to actual job postings, listing employers who are hiring, and clarifying the legend that explains the star ratings, and providing ratings out of five stars, rather than three. Participants were not sure what a particular rating meant. It is worth noting that there is currently a link at the top of the Outlook page which leads to a detailed explanation of the legend of stars, but as participants were reviewing an image of the Outlook tab rather than a live webpage, the link would not have worked if they attempted to click on it.

Figure 4: Outlook Tab Image Review – Unemployed Youth EN

Text description of Outlook Tab Image Review – Unemployed Youth EN

Figure 5: Outlook Tab Image Review – Parents of youth FR

Text description of Outlook Tab Image Review – Parents of youth FR

In Their Own Words

“Selon moi il se trouve aucun élément inutile. Cependant, serait intéressant de nous donner les perspectives d'emplois sur les années à venir. Soit à quel moment le plus précis pourront nous croire à une place pour un futur étudiant dans l'un des postes ou secteur proposés.”

“Les informations de base donné sont assez bonne et simple mais je crois qu'il manque d'information au niveau des employeurs individuels.”

“It would be interested to know how many people were hired in that sector the year before. I would also like a 5 star scale, rather than (3) because it gives more margin to judge the outlook of the career.”

“Maybe something regarding prospects related to AI/machine learning? Understanding the implications of automation in an industry is going to be important in the future.”

“Employment potential stars could have been explained better/differently for a better understanding.”

Labour Market News

Figure 6: Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

Labour Market News – Helpful or Unhelpful?

The Labour Market News was among the least helpful resources presented. While 30% found it helpful, 67% reported that the information was neither helpful nor unhelpful. Influencers were the least enthusiastic – just 16% found the information helpful.

Participants agreed the news stories might contain helpful information, but would not use it because the tool is not organized or easily searchable. The sense was that the information contained in the stories could help a searcher identify pros and cons to working in certain industries and which types of job may become available in the future, if they spent the time looking for it. The information also might be better to some audiences, such as people out of work trying to reorient themselves in today’s work force, and young people beginning their careers.

The industry type and province columns were the most useful elements of the table, allowing participants to view information that was more relevant to their work and community.

One of participants’ top suggestions was to allow users to sort the list of news stories by province and date. The list should also be searchable, according to participants. Some of these features already exist, including the ability to sort by date. Stories are also searchable by city or postal code, event type and industry. Participants had the opportunity to access these features in the first two tasks about the Labour Market News, but did not during the image review component. Consequently, participants’ lack of knowledge of the search and sort features could be attributed to them missing it in the first few tasks, and not having the opportunity to access it in the image review task.

Some felt the headlines should be more concise – participants felt they were too long, and often after reading them they did not feel as though they wanted to read further, though some appreciated the detail. Finally, they preferred when the event type was specified, rather than left as “other”.

Figure 7 – Labour Market News Image Review – Unemployed Youth EN

Text description of Labour Market News Image Review – Unemployed Youth EN

Figure 8 – Labour Market News Image Review – Adults over 25 seeking new job FR

Text description of Labour Market News Image Review – Adults over 25 seeking new job FR

In Their Own Words

“I liked that the information was categorized by the Industry, Event Type, and Province/Territory. However, all the information is displayed in a large chart with no options for filtering. This makes it quite tedious for one to find relevant information. For example, I'm personally interested in job creation information for Professional Services or Finance/Insurance however, I would have to scroll down and skim through the chart or use CTRL + F to find what I'm looking for. The ability to filter by date, as well as Industry, Event Type, and Province/Territory would be beneficial.”

“I think it was a very helpful page. It displayed things that could be really helpful to people looking for work..for example the one that said a condo was being built in the summer could help someone looking to line up construction work.”

“Ma première impression a été de constater qu'il y avait beaucoup trop d'informations. Les textes semblent plus de nature explicative et contextuel que des informations qui vont droit au but. La page semblent être utile pour un changement d'emploi et de carrière majeure, dans la nature ou quelqu'un est prêt à tout faire , dont déménager pour avoir la meilleure job possible , toute circonstance confondu.”

“Dans le cadre de mon travail, j’encourage toujours mes clients à cibler des opportunités d'emploi qui ne sont pas affichées sous forme d'une offre d'emploi. Les actualités qui sont présentées sur cette page peuvent donc être un outil très utile pour connaître les tendances sur le marché du travail et cibler des opportunités dans leur domaine et leur région.”

Labour Market Bulletin

Figure 9: Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

Labour Market Bulletin – Helpful or Unhelpful?

Participant reaction to the Labour Market Bulletin was similar to Labour Market News. A third rated it as helpful. The bulletin scored better among post-secondary students and parents, and worst among those over 25 searching for a new job. Regardless of the scores offered, all groups offered similar feedback, suggesting a more efficient summary of the information.

Figure 10: As you may have noticed, there is a variety of information provided in a Labour Market Bulletin. For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would find that particular kind of information.

Labour Market Bulletin Content – Helpful or Unhelpful? (n = 115)

When made to read through the bulletin, participants found valuable information. Over half rated many of the elements, including employment growth over time and employment by industry, as helpful. However, most agreed that reading through the whole document was not an efficient way to find that information. Many suggested providing a shorter, summarized version, perhaps by providing links to certain sections or making the document more easily searchable. Some also felt they may not be the intended audience of such a document – it would be more useful to those interested in labour market statistics, working in economics or finance, looking to invest in an industry or for internal government data and business.

In Their Own Words

“Overall I thought the information was important but heavy reading. A lot of stats and information condensed down with some graphs. I am sure there would be a way to better present the information to make it more appealing to read. A way to summarize it to get an overview for those who don't want to go into too many specifics on the data.”

“Great amount of detail. Unsure as to whether this information would serve the average individual looking for a job but certainly good to be able to have access to this information. Appears to be created for internal government data and businesses.”

“Pour la moyenne du monde, je ne crois pas que ça serait super intéressant. Les données et statistiques d'emploi et les articles qui y sont associé, ce n'est pas vraiment pour monsieur et madame tout le monde...

Pour être dans le domaine des finances, ou quelque chose de semblable, certainement! L'outil a le potentiel d'être puissant pour ceux qui savent s'en servir.”

“Je pense que ça donne une bonne perspective du marché du travail. C'est clair et les statistiques sont intéressantes et utiles surtout qu'on peut les comparer aux autres années. Il y a aussi beaucoup d'explications utiles. Cependant, je ne sais pas comment j'appliquerais ça dans ma recherche d'emploi personnelle.”

“The information is well laid out and informative and easy to understand. However, he average working applying for a job would have the time to read this page or care such specific information. I think this page would again by relevant to someone looking to invest in a specific industry in Canada. It would also be helpful for a potential student in gathering information to help them decide which post-secondary program to enter into. This page would also be highly relevant for someone conducting research - i.e a current post-secondary student.”

EScan

Figure 11: Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

EScan – Helpful or Unhelpful?

The EScan was the least helpful resource presented. Employed youth and job seekers 25 and older were the least likely to find the EScans helpful (21% and 22% respectively). Influencers found the information in EScans the most helpful (42%). As with the Labour Market Bulletin, most participants felt the document was too long. The information was also difficult to understand at times. Some participants mentioned that they did not feel they had the appropriate understanding of statistics and economics to fully comprehend the data presented.

Figure 12: Just like the Labour Market Bulletins, there is a variety of information provided in an EScan. For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would find each particular section.

EScan Content – Helpful or Unhelpful? (n = 115)

Unsurprisingly, the key highlights were the most useful component - the summary was generally preferred to reading the whole document. Participants also appreciated the provincial overview, which allowed them to see more relevant information about areas close to them, labour market conditions by economic region, employment by sector and labour market conditions.

The participants suggested that the information should be presented through the use of graphs and images, rather than text. A few even suggested incorporating videos. Some suggested even simpler changes, such as using more bullet points rather than paragraphs and/or using shorter paragraphs.

Some participants did find the information interesting, but felt that it was excessive and not entirely appropriate in a job search. Several mentioned that this type of information would be of great use to labour market economists, but not the average job searcher.

In Their Own Words

“The economic / environmental scan is quite comprehensive and provides an accurate snapshot of each section in the province. I am not sure how relevant it is to the average job seeker but could prove to be a valuable tool for those looking to keep their finger on the pulse. The breakdown of trends by region in BC is helpful in seeing where the trends are for gainful employment. The reference at the bottom of the section are helpful for those wanting to know where the information came from and/or those needing citation information.”

“Ce site attrait à l'économie et à la croissant économique global et à la connaissance général. Je ne suis pas intéressé, car je ne me sens même pas outiller pour comprendre de quoi il est question. Je sens qu'il me manque des connaissance de base général pour avoir la capacité d'analyser ces statistique et en comprendre l,importance”

“Simplify the information and make it more accessible. Find a way to breakdown the information with more visuals. I am not sure who the target audience is. This all depends on who this is written for. Who are you trying to educate/inform with this information? In my opinion, it certainly wouldn't be for the average Canadian.”

Sectoral Profile

Figure 13: Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

Sectoral Profiles – Helpful or Unhelpful?

After the Wage and Outlook tabs, the sectoral profile was the third most helpful resource tested – 42% found it helpful. Post-secondary students were the most likely to find this resource helpful (61%). Participants felt that the information was interesting, particularly for those who were able to find a sector profile related to their own work, or a field they were familiar in some other way (e.g. their spouse works in the field). They appreciated the use of charts, graphs and bullet points to better organize the information.

Figure 14: As with the Labour Market Bulletins and EScans, there is a variety of information provided in a Sectoral Profile.  For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would find each particular section.

Sectoral Profile Content – Helpful or Unhelpful? (n = 115)

Overall, participants preferred the forecasting elements, including the forecasts for the future (70%) and trends in the sector (56%). For example, one respondent found the Projected Change in Employment helpful for the industry they were examining (mining) because, in what they described as a volatile industry, it showed the planned projects for the next two years.

Despite finding the Sectoral Profiles more user-friendly than some of the other denser resources, participants offered some constructive criticism and suggestions. Though Participants found the information interesting, the consensus was that there was too much of it, minimizing the resource’s utility. Following logically from their preference for projection data, they advised that the government could shorten the document by including less data about past trends. Though the resource’s organization and layout was better than the EScan, many offered solutions to make it more user friendly, including adding a table of contents.

“Condenser les informations. 8 pages de textes et de graphismes est devenu envahissant. Il y avait aucune pause pour absorber l'information. J'etais en train de me noyer.”

“C'est un portrait très complet et très détaillé. Je pense que ce sont des informations importantes car ça démontre bien la dynamique de chaque industrie avec les lieux des emplois, le nombre d'employés, l'évolution des emplois, le taux de croissance qui démontrent bien les perspectives d'emploi dans ce domaine, dans quelle région du Québec il y a le plus d'emploi ainsi qu'une classification du milieu qui permet de voir dans quel genre d'endroit nous pouvons travailler pour un domaine en particulier. Il y a même un graphique qui démontre les différences entre le Québec et l'Ontario. D'ailleurs, il y a beaucoup de graphiques ce qui facilite la compréhension. Si nous voulons avoir plus de détails, nous pouvons nous référer au texte du début.”

“The information is in depth but also concise and to the point. I liked how the information was organized into different sections. The use of charts helps the reader visualize and understand the data quickly. The section I found the most beneficial was the Economic Outlook. There is a well organized chart that shows the projected change in employment and the projected annual growth for different economic regions in BC.”

Comparing Labour Market Information Products

Figure 15: All of the sites we have been looking at are types of labour market information that ESDC provides on a section of its website called the Job Bank. Now that you've spent some time getting to know what is being provided, overall, how helpful would you say the information provided in ESDC's Job Bank is for those who are considering a career change, seeking a new job or trying to think about what sort of training or educational program to pursue?

Ranking Labour Market Information Products (n=115)

Figure 16: All of the sites we have been looking at are types of labour market information that ESDC provides on a section of its website called the Job Bank. Now that you’ve spent some time getting to know what is being provided, overall, how helpful would you say the information provided in ESDC’s Job Bank is for those who are considering a career change, seeking a new job or trying to think about what sort of training or educational program to pursue?

Overall Impressions – Helpful or Unhelpful?

Figure 17: Using a scale of 1-7 where 1 means you strongly disagree, 7 means you strongly agree and a response of 4 means you neither agree nor disagree, how strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the statements below?

Rating Job Bank Information (n=115)

When made to rank the Labour Market Information tools, 44% of respondents chose Wages as the most important, followed by the Outlook tab at 27%. Very few selected the other tools as their top choice. Half of participants found the information contained in all the products helpful, though this number was lower among employed youth (35%) and post-secondary students (41%).

Nearly all of the participants agreed that the information is credible, thorough and valuable. Many reported that they would use the information if searching for a job. That said, the participants’ commentary throughout the communities suggests that they might not use all the tools in their current format. Participants strongly preferred the resources, namely the Wages and Outlook tabs, that were simpler and that presented clear information directly related to employment opportunities. They also liked that this information was easy to find. The more detailed and lengthy resources were not thought to be very useful in a job search, with the exception of Influencers using them to help inform their own advice to clients. Participants strongly felt they should be made more user- friendly.

Participants’ top suggestions for improving the Job Bank resources were:

• Make the information more visually appealing – charts, graphs, bullet form notes and even videos would help.
• Make the tools more user friendly – they should be searchable and sortable. Consider adding a short video to explain how the various tools should be used and interpreted.
• Highlight and make easy to find the most important information participants mentioned, including geographically relevant information and forecasts for the future about employment opportunities and wages.

Conclusions

Overall, participants felt that the Job Bank site contains valuable and detailed information. The content presented generally exceeded participants’ expectations. When made to rank the Labour Market Information tools, the plurality of respondents chose Wages as the most important, followed by the Outlook tab. Half of participants found the information contained in all the products helpful, though there were notable differences from one segment to another, indicating there may not be a “one-size fits all” solution.

One piece of constructive criticism offered from all audiences was that they wished certain types of information were presented in a more user-friendly format, with more visuals, and the ability to sort and search. The most useful tools – the Wages and Outlook tabs – were highly rated because they were perceived to be simpler, geographically targeted and relevant. The least useful tools – including the EScan – were usually considered less useful due to being text-heavy, making it harder to find relevant information and understand the implications for participants’ purposes.

Though they found the Wages and Outlook tabs useful, participants did have constructive feedback to improve them. For Wages, this included adding information about health and retirement benefits, and the number of years worked in the field before one could reasonably expect to be paid the maximum salary. Suggested improvements for the Outlook tab largely had to do with getting more specific, including linking to actual job postings, listing employers who are hiring, and clarifying the legend that explains the star ratings, and providing ratings out of five stars, rather than three. Participants were not sure what a particular rating meant.

The least helpful elements – Labour Market News, Bulletin and EScans – contained helpful information, but there was too much of it, and it was poorly organized. For the Labour Market News, the participants wished they could sort the stories by province and date. They also felt the headlines should be more concise – participants felt they were too long, and often after reading them they did not feel as though they wanted to read further.

Participants reacted similarly to the Labour Market Bulletin and EScans. When made to read through both, they found valuable information, though some suggested it may be more appropriate for people interested or studying labour market trends, rather than the average job searcher. Over  half  rated  many  of  the  elements  as  helpful. However, most agreed that reading through the documents in their entirety was not an efficient way to find relevant information.

The sectoral profile was viewed as one of the more useful resources, particularly among post-secondary students. The positive aspects included interesting information, and the use of charts, graphs and bullet points to better organize the information. Forecasting elements were the most helpful of those tested, including the employment outlook. Despite finding the Sectoral Profiles more user-friendly than some of the other denser resources, participants offered some constructive criticism and suggestions, including incorporating more about future projections and adding a table of contents.

Appendix A: Screener

Summary

• For each of 12 communities, recruit 10 total participants, with the aim of having 8-10 participants who complete all activities in their particular community (for a total of 120 people recruited)
• Ensure good mix of gender, region in each community
• Communities would be live March 15-20

Community E1: Post-Secondary Students (Eng)

These are people who are enrolled in a post-secondary program such as a university, college or an apprenticeship. This community will be conducted in English.

Community E2: Employed Youth (Eng)

These are people aged 16-24 who are working fulltime and are not enrolled in any sort of post-secondary program. This community will be conducted in English.

Community E3: Unemployed Youth (Eng)

These are people aged 16-24 who are neither working fulltime nor enrolled in any sort of post-secondary program. This community will be conducted in English.

Community E4: Adult Seekers 25+ (Eng)

These are people aged 25+ who are currently seeking or considering new employment opportunities. This community will be conducted in English.

Community E5: Parents of Youth (Eng)

These are people who are parents of at least one youth aged 16-24. This community will be conducted in English.

Community E6: Influencers (Eng)

These are people who are career counsellors or advisors. This community will be conducted in English.

Community F1: Post-Secondary Students (Fre)

These are people who are enrolled in a post-secondary program such as a university, college or an apprenticeship. This community will be conducted in French.

Community F2: Employed Youth (Fre)

These are people aged 16-24 who are working fulltime and are not enrolled in any sort of post-secondary program. This community will be conducted in French.

Community F3: Unemployed Youth (Fre)

These are people aged 16-24 who are neither working fulltime nor enrolled in any sort of post-secondary program. This community will be conducted in French.

Community F4: Adult Seekers 25+ (Fre)

These are people aged 25+ who are currently seeking or considering new employment opportunities. This community will be conducted in French.

Community F5: Parents of Youth (Fre)

These are people who are parents of at least one youth aged 16-24. This community will be conducted in French.

Community F6: Influencers (Fre)

These are people who are career counsellors or advisors. This community will be conducted in French.

Introduction

Respondent’s name:

Respondent’s phone number: (home)

Respondent’s phone number: (work)

Respondent’s email:

Sample source: panel random client referral

Interviewer:

Date:

Validated:

Quality Central:

On list:

On quotas:

Hello/Bonjour, my name is [insert name] and I’m calling on behalf of Earnscliffe, a national public opinion research firm. We are organizing a series of discussion groups on issues of importance to Canadians, on behalf of the Government of Canada, specifically for Employment and Social Development Canada. The purpose of the study and the small group discussion is to hear people’s views on issues related to employment. We are looking for people who would be willing to participate in a type of online focus group called an online community. These people must be 16 years of age or older. Up to 10 participants will be taking part and for their time, participants will receive an honorarium of $200. May I continue?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

Would you prefer that I continue in English or French? Préférez-vous continuer en français ou en anglais? [IF FRENCH, CONTINUE IN FRENCH OR ARRANGE A CALL BACK WITH FRENCH INTERVIEWER: Nous vous rappellerons pour mener cette entrevue de recherche en français. Merci. Au revoir].

Participation is voluntary. We are interested in hearing your opinions; no attempt will be made to sell you anything or change your point of view. The format is a ‘round table’ discussion led by a research professional. All opinions expressed will remain anonymous and views will be grouped together to ensure no particular individual can be identified. But before we invite you to attend, we need to ask you a few questions to ensure that we get a good mix and variety of people. May I ask you a few questions?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

READ TO ALL: “This call may be monitored or audio taped for quality control and evaluation purposes.

ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION IF NEEDED:

• To ensure that I (the interviewer) am reading the questions correctly and collecting your answers accurately;
• To assess my (the interviewer) work for performance evaluation;
• To ensure that the questionnaire is accurate/correct (i.e. evaluation of CATI programming and methodology – we’re asking the right questions to meet our clients’ research requirements – kind of like pre-testing)
• If the call is audio taped, it is only for the purposes of playback to the interviewer for a performance evaluation immediately after the interview is conducted or it can be used by the Project Manager/client to evaluate the questionnaire if they are unavailable at the time of the interview – all audio tapes are destroyed after the evaluation.

S1. Do you or any member of your household work for…

A marketing research firm

• Yes 1
• No 2

A magazine or newspaper, online or print

• Yes 1
• No 2

A radio or television station

• Yes 1
• No 2

A public relations company

• Yes 1
• No 2

An advertising agency or graphic design firm

• Yes 1
• No 2

An online media company or as a blog writer

• Yes 1
• No 2

The government, whether federal, provincial or municipal

• Yes 1
• No 2

IF “YES” TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THANK AND TERMINATE.

This research study will be conducted online, in the form of an online community, with a professional moderator who will issue questions and fun tasks to complete. You’ll be asked to respond to questions that will be made available to you within predetermined times. You will also be encouraged to interact with other participants by commenting on their views. The online community will take place starting March 15^th at noon and ending March 20^th at 11:55 pm.

Over the course of the online community, you will be asked to log onto a website and complete a series of activities on four occasions over the course of the 5 days. Each series of activities will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete, and you’ll have 5 days to complete all of the activities. Activities will be made available on different days over the duration of the online community. We ask that you book these dates in your calendar so that other obligations do not interfere with your participation.

At the end of the study, you will receive an honorarium in appreciation for your participation. To participate in this study, you must provide us with an email address that you have access to daily. Would you be interested in participating?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

READ TO ALL: “This call may be monitored or audio taped for quality control and evaluation purposes.

ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION IF NEEDED:

• To ensure that I (the interviewer) am reading the questions correctly and collecting your answers accurately;
• To assess my (the interviewer) work for performance evaluation;
• To ensure that the questionnaire is accurate/correct (i.e. evaluation of CATI programming and methodology – we’re asking the right questions to meet our clients’ research requirements – kind of like pre-testing)
• If the call is audio taped, it is only for the purposes of playback to the interviewer for a performance evaluation immediately after the interview is conducted or it can be used by the Project Manager/client to evaluate the questionnaire if they are unavailable at the time of the interview – all audio tapes are destroyed after the evaluation.

First, we need to ask you a few questions to see if you are eligible to participate.

This research will require viewing and interacting on a website. To this end, I have a few questions about your use of the internet.

S2. On a scale of 1 to 10, where, 1, is not at all comfortable and, 10, is extremely comfortable, please tell me how comfortable you are with each of the following:

a. Typing on a computer keyboard

• Not at all comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Extremely comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

b. Using email

• Not at all comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Extremely comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

c. Conducting a basic internet search

• Not at all comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Extremely comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

d. Sharing your thoughts and views online (whether through social media, a blog, etc.)

• Not at all comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Extremely comfortable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

IF “1-6” TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THANK AND TERMINATE.

S3. Do you have daily access to a computer with high speed internet where you can complete the
questions for each of the activities?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

S4. Do you have a personal email address that is currently active and available to you?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

The next set of questions are to help us ensure we get a good mix and variety of people. May I ask you a few more questions?

• Yes CONTINUE
• No THANK AND TERMINATE

S5. Could you please tell me what age category you fall in to? Are you…

• 16-24 years 1
• 25-29 years 2
• 30-34 years 3
• 35-44 years 4
• 45-54 years 5
• 55-64 years 6
• 65+ years 7
• DK/NR 9 THANK AND TERMINATE

S6. [IF AGED 30+] Are you the parent or guardian of a child between the ages of 16 and 24?

• Yes 1
• No 2

S7. Which of the following best describes your current employment situation?

• Employed fulltime 1
• Self-employed 2
• Employed part time 3
• Not employed 4
• Retired 5

S8. [IF EMPLOYED FULLTIME] Are you currently seeking or considering new career opportunities?

• Yes 1
• No 2

S9. [IF EMPLOYED FULLTIME] In your current position, are you a career counsellor, career advisor or guidance counsellor?

• Yes 1
• No 2

S10. Are you currently enrolled in a post-secondary program such as a college diploma program, a university degree program or an apprenticeship?

• Yes 1
• No 2

S11. DO NOT ASK – NOTE GENDER

• Male 1 ENSURE A GOOD MIX
• Female 2

S12. In which province or territory do you reside? ENSURE A GOOD MIX OF ALL FIVE REGIONS

• ATLANTIC CANADA
  • Newfoundland & Labrador 1
  • Nova Scotia 2
  • Prince Edward Island 3
  • New Brunswick 4
• QUEBEC 5
• ONTARIO 6
• PRAIRIES
  • Manitoba 7
  • Saskatchewan 8
  • Alberta 9
• BRITISH COLUMBIA 10
• TERRITORIES
  • Northwest Territories 11
  • Nunavut 12
  • Yukon 13

S13. Which of the following best describes the community in which you live.

• Urban 1 ENSURE GOOD MIX (OVERALL)
• Rural 2

S14. Do you consider yourself to be Indigenous Canadian (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)?

• Yes 1
• No 2

AIM FOR 1 INDIGENOUS CANADIAN IN EACH COMMUNITY.

LOGIC FOR QUALIFYING:

1. Post-Secondary Students: S8=1
2. Employed Youth: S5=1 AND S7=1 AND S10=2
3. Unemployed Youth: S5=1 AND S7>1 AND S10=2
4. Adult Seekers: S5>1 AND S8=1
5. Parents: S6=1
6. Influencers: S9=1

Invitation:

We would like to invite you to participate in this online study which will be facilitated by an experienced, professional moderator. Just to confirm, the online study will start March 15^th at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) and end March 20^th at 11:55 PM (PST).

You will be asked to complete a series of activities on four occasions over the course of the 5 days. Each series of activities will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete, and you’ll have 5 days to complete all of the activities. Activities will be made available on different days over the duration of the online community. You must complete ALL of the activities between March 15^th and March 20^th. We do ask that you log in to the online community on the first day, which is March 15^th, so you can “meet” the moderator and other participants, familiarize yourself with the platform, and answer a few preliminary questions.

A day or two before the study begins, you will receive an email with detailed instructions on how and when to access the study. This email will include the necessary login information.

Once you have completed all of the activities and answered all of the questions, we will send you an honorarium in the amount of $200.00, as a thank you for your time and participation. Please note that if you do not complete all of the activities, you will not receive the incentive!

Would you be willing to participate?

• Yes 1 RECRUIT
• No 2 THANK AND TERMINATE
• DK/NR 9 THANK AND TERMINATE

Can I please confirm your email address? This is the email address that you can use and would like to use to receive login information and communications about this study:

[RECORD AND VERIFY EMAIL ADDRESS].

PRIVACY QUESTIONS

Thank you for agreeing to take part in our online community. We will be providing your name to the moderator so that they can confirm your attendance when you login. Once the online community is completed, your name will be submitted to the MRIA’s (Marketing Research and Intelligence Association) Qualitative Central system as a research participant, you will not be contacted for any reason for being on this list. Do you agree with this?

• Yes 1 Go to invite
• No 2 Ask follow up so that you can log the call appropriately.

Can you please tell me which item is causing you concern?

• Provided Name to moderator 1 NQP1
  MRIA List 4 NQP4

If possible try to address their concern if not Thank and Terminate

AS REQUIRED, ADDITIONAL INFO FOR THE INTERVIEWER:

Please be assured that this information is kept confidential and is strictly accessed and used by

professional market research firm to review participation and prevent “professional respondents” from attending sessions. Research firms participating in MRIA’s Qualitative Central require your consent to be eligible to participate in the discussion group - the system helps ensure the integrity of the research process.

AS REQUIRED, NOTE ABOUT MRIA:

The Marketing Research and Intelligence Association is a non-profit organization for marketing research professionals engaged in marketing, advertising, social, and political research. The Society's mission is to be the leader in promoting excellence in the practice of marketing and social research and in the value of market information.

As we are only inviting a small number of people to participate, your participation is very important to us. If for some reason you are unable to participate, please call us so that we may get someone to replace you. You can reach us at [1-800 NUMBER] at our office. Please ask for [NAME]. Someone will contact you leading up to the start of the community to remind you about the discussion.

So that we can call you to remind you about the community or contact you should there be any changes, can you please confirm your name and contact information for me? [READ INFO WE HAVE AND CHANGE AS NECESSARY.]

First name
Last Name
email
Daytime phone number
Evening phone number

If the respondent refuses to give his/her first or last name or phone number please assure them that this information will be kept strictly confidential in accordance with the privacy law and that it is used strictly to contact them to confirm their attendance and to inform them of any changes to the discussion group. If they still refuse THANK & TERMINATE.

Appendix B: Discussion Guide

Community Home Page

[DISPLAY NAMES & PHOTOS OF MODERATORS]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for joining our community.

As your study moderators, we're looking forward to uncovering new insights with you. We work at an independent public affairs and market research company called Earnscliffe and we are facilitating this community on behalf of the Government of Canada, and more specifically, on behalf of Employment and Skills Development Canada (ESDC).

Over the next few days, we are going to be discussing issues related to learning about employment opportunities, making career choices and selecting training and educational programs. Your feedback will be extremely helpful, so we encourage you to be open and honest in your comments and active in your interactions with others in the community. We also ask that you remain respectful of other people's opinions and views at all times.

This page will display your next available activity as well as any relevant community updates. Please check in regularly and contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

[DISCUSSIONS CARD]

We expect to be adding discussions on new topics over the course of the project - be sure to check-in to see what's new!

Activity 1: Getting To Know You!

[TASK 1]

Let’s get started

Welcome to this first ice-breaker activity!

We would like to take a few minutes to get to know you a little better. We also want to make sure you are comfortable using the platform and the various tools we will be using throughout the discussion.

If you're ready to get started, go ahead and click on the "continue" button.

[TASK 2]

Where do you live?

In which province or territory do you live? Please drag and drop the green marker in the box at the top left (with the word "drag" under it) onto the province or territory in which you live. Feel free to place the marker as close to where you live regionally within the province.

[TASK 3]

Introduce yourself (text)

We'd love to get to know you a little bit.

Please share something about yourself that is interesting or unique (i.e., your interests, hobbies, etc.).

[TASK 4]

Introduce yourself (image upload)

Now that you've explained what makes you unique, please take a moment to bring your interests to life.

To do so, please upload a photo that represents you/your interests. This photo does not need to be of you; it can be from a different source (i.e., Google images, etc.) but should tell us something about you/what you're passionate about.

And, don't forget, your photo will be visible to everyone in our discussion forum; please ensure they are appropriate to share with other members of our community!

[TASK 5]

First steps in job searching

Most of the discussions we’ll be having will be about how you gather information about employment opportunities and what kinds of information you would find most helpful if you were considering a career change, seeking a new job or trying to think about what sort of training or educational program to pursue.

Before we start the discussion, using the boxes below, please indicate what the first sources of information are that you would use and in each case, why you would use. You can list up to three and they can be anything at all. For any that involve a website, please paste in or type in the website address (aka the “URL”) so we know exactly what site you mean.

The first source of information I would use would be…

[INSERT FIRST SOURCE YOU WOULD USE AND WHY YOU WOULD USE THAT ONE]

The second source of information I would use would be…

[IF THERE IS SECOND SOURCE YOU WOULD USE, INSERT SOURCE AND WHY YOU WOULD USE THAT ONE]

The third source of information I would use would be…

[IF THERE IS THIRD SOURCE YOU WOULD USE, INSERT SOURCE AND WHY YOU WOULD USE THAT ONE]

[TASK 6]

Well done!

Thank you for completing this first ice-breaker activity!

Once you have submitted your responses (by clicking "submit" below), please take a moment to get to know others in the community, by reading through their introductions. Feel free to click "like" and "comment" on their entries - open discussion and communication is encouraged!

And, be sure to check back in tomorrow for the first Activity.

Activity 2: Jobs Report

[TASK 1]

For today’s activity, we’re going to have you look at several different Government of Canada web pages that provide information for people looking to make a career change, seeking a new job, or making decisions on what training or educational program to pursue. Please click "continue" to begin.

[TASK 2]

Test-Driving Jobs Report

For all of our website visits, we'll be sending you to different parts of, or asking you to focus on specific aspects of, the ESDC "Job Bank" site. For this activity, we're sending you to a page that provides a "job report" for any sort of job. In order to look at a specific example, we are sending you to the report relating to "structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters" in the Toronto region. Please take a look at the information provided on that page and come back to the community to answer a few  questions.

The website to visit is: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/repo...

Please keep the webpage open as you will need it to answer the next few questions.

[TASK 3]

Jobs Report: First impression

Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 4]

Jobs Report: Outlook Tab

As you may have noticed, there were four tabs that lead to different types of information for that kind of job. The one you were sent to automatically displayed the “Jobs” tab. Below, is an image of the kind of information you would typically see if you click the “Outlook” tab.

Text description of Jobs Report: Outlook Tab

Using the "like" and "dislike" markers, please use “like” to indicate any aspects that you liked or found particularly interesting or helpful and use “dislike” to indicate any that you disliked or found particularly confusing or unhelpful.

[TASK 5]

Outlook Tab: Fill in the Blank

Thinking of the Outlook tab from the previous exercise, please fill in the following blanks.

Text description of Outlook Tab: Fill in the Blank

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly helpful?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly unhelpful, or confusing?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, are missing that you think should be included in this occupation outlook information?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 6]

Job Report: Wages Tab

Finally, we’re going to focus on the “Wages” tab. Below, is an image of the kind of information you would typically see if you click the “Wages” tab.

Text description of Job Report: Wages Tab

Using the "like" and "dislike" markers, please use “like” to indicate any aspects that you liked or found particularly interesting or helpful and use “dislike” to indicate any that you disliked or found particularly confusing or unhelpful.

[TASK 7]

Wages Tab: Fill in the Blank

Thinking of the Wages tab from the previous exercise, please fill in the following blanks.

Text description of Wages Tab: Fill in the Blank

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly helpful?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly unhelpful, or confusing?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, are missing that you think should be included in this occupation outlook information?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 8]

Concluding this Activity

Please keep track of the dates for each activity and check-in often to discover new topics/areas for discussion.

Once you have submitted your responses (by clicking "submit" below), please take a moment to read through the opinions expressed by others and click "like" (wherever appropriate) and "comment" on at least TWO entries.

Look out for the next activity!

Activity 3: Job Market Trends And News

[TASK 1]

For today's activity, we're going to have you look at several different Government of Canada web pages that provide information for people looking to make a career change, seeking a new job, or making decisions on what training or educational program to pursue.

In fact, we'll be looking at four (4) different types of information that is provided. For each one, please follow our instructions for "test-driving" the web page and then come back to answer a few questions on it. In each case, please try to use it as naturally as possible and just spend a couple of minutes getting to know what kind of information that page is providing and what stands out for you - whether good or bad.

Press "continue" below to begin. [TASK 2]

Test-Driving the Labour Market News on Job Bank

For today’s first website visit, we’re sending you to the section of the Job Bank site called “Job Market Trends and News”.

Once on that page, please scroll down to the section that begins with the label "News Title" and focus ONLY on the information presented in that section. Once you have familiarized yourself with what kind of news is provided there for the different provinces and territories, come back to the community to answer a few questions.

The website to visit is: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_bulletin.do

Please keep the webpage open as you will need it to answer the next few questions.

[TASK 3]

Labour Market News: First impression

Overall, how helpful would you find the information displayed on this page?

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 4]

Labour Market News: Example

Below is an example of what typically shows up in the news area of the Job Market Trends and News page. It may not be exactly what you saw, but for the purposes of our discussion, let’s review it.

Text description of Labour Market News: Example

Using the "like" and "dislike" markers, please use “like” to indicate any aspects that you liked or found particularly interesting or helpful and use “dislike” to indicate any that you disliked or found particularly confusing or unhelpful.

[TASK 5]

Labour Market News: Fill the Blanks Response

Thinking of the Labour Market News from the previous exercise, please fill in the following blanks.

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly helpful?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, stood out for you as particularly unhelpful, or confusing?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

What elements, if any, are missing that you think should be included?

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 6]

Test-Driving Labour Market Bulletin

For the next website visit, we’re sending you to back to the Job Market Trends and News page, but then we’ll have you focus on the area that provides “Labour Market Bulletins”. A Labour Market Bulletin is an analysis of the local labour market and an assessment of local employment-related events.

To do this, when you go back to this page (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_bulletin.do), and where you see the image below, click your province or territory (or any other one, if you prefer)

Text description of Test-Driving Labour Market Bulletin

After clicking on your province, you will notice a section on the right-hand side called Labour Market Bulletins. It will look like this:

Text description of Labour Market Bulletins

Please click on the most recent bulletin and take a look at the information provided in a Labour Market Bulletin and then come back to the community to answer a few questions.

Please keep the webpage open as you will need it to answer the next few questions.

[TASK 7]

Labour Market Bulletin: First impression

Overall, how helpful would you find the information provided in a Labour Market Bulletin?

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 8]

Labour Market Bulletin: Content

As you may have noticed, there is a variety of information provided in a Labour Market Bulletin. For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would find that particular kind of information.

Here is the link in case you need to review the page again: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_b...

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

• The paragraphs that make up the Overview
• The table displaying Labour Force Statistics
• The graph showing the Employment and Unemployment Rate over time
• The graph showing the Employment Growth over time
• The table showing Unemployment Rates by Gender and Age
• The Labour Market Indicators for Indigenous People
• The section on Employment by Industry
• The section providing a Regional Analysis
• The Notes section
• The section with links to sources used

Additional Comments:

• Was there anything that would make Labour Market Bulletins more helpful to you?

[OPEN-END]

[TASK 9]

Test-Driving Economic/Environmental Scans

For the next website visit, we’re sending you to back to the Job Market Trends and News page again, but then we’ll have you focus on the area that provides “Economic/Environmental Scans”. To make things a little easier, we may also call them “EScans”. An EScan is a report that provides an overview of major socio-economic trends that can have an impact on the local and provincial economy and labour market.

To do this, when you go back to this page (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_bulletin.do), and where you see the image below, once again, click your province or territory (or any other one, if you prefer)

Text description of Test-Driving Economic/Environmental Scans

After clicking on your province, you will notice a section lower down the right-hand side called Economic/Environmental Scan. It will look like this:

Text description of Economic/Environmental Scans

Please click on the most recent bulletin and take a look at the information provided in an EScan and then come back to the community to answer a few questions.

Please keep the webpage open as you will need it to answer the next few questions.

[TASK 10]

EScans: First impression

Overall, how helpful would you find the information provided in an Economic/Environmental Scan?

Here is the link in case you need to review the page again: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_b...

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression. [INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 11]

EScans: Content

Just like the Labour Market Bulletins, there is a variety of information provided in an EScan. For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would each particular section.

Here is the link in case you need to review the page again: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_b... [1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

• Key highlights
• Economic context
• Global outlook
• National overview
• Provincial overview
• Key global trading partners
• Population and age
• Labour market conditions
• Employment by sector
• Labour market conditions by economic region
• Labour market outcomes for client segments (which included Immigrants/newcomers, Indigenous people, Youth, older workers, Seniors and People with Disabilities)
• The Notes section
• The section with links to sources used
• Sub provincial trends

Additional Comments:

• Was there anything that would make EScans more helpful to you? [OPEN-END]

[TASK 12]

Test-Driving Sectoral Profiles

For the next website visit, we’re sending you to back (one last time!) to the Job Market Trends and News page again, but then we’ll have you focus on the area that provides “Sectoral Profiles”. A Sectoral Profile is an overview of recent labour market developments and outlooks for some of the key industries in various regions of the country.

To do this, when you go back to this page (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_bulletin.do), and where you see the image below, once again, click your province or territory (or any other one, if you prefer)

Text description of Test-Driving Sectoral Profiles

After clicking on your province, you will notice a section lower down the right-hand side called Sectoral Profile. It will look like this:

Text description of Sectoral Profiles

Please scroll through the list of sectors that are profiles and pick one to click on and review what is provided in the Sector Profile for that category. When you have had a chance to look at the information provided in Sector Profile, come back to the community to answer a few questions.

Please keep the webpage open as you will need it to answer the next few questions.

[TASK 13]

Sectoral Profiles: First impression

Overall, how helpful would you find the information provided in a Sector Profile?

Here is the link in case you need to review the page again: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_b...

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 14]

Sectoral Profiles: Content

As with the Labour Market Bulletins and EScans, there is a variety of information provided in a Sectoral Profile. For each of the following types of information presented, please indicate how helpful you would each particular section.

Here is the link in case you need to review the page again: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_b... [1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

• The description of the sector
• Information on changes in GDP, Employment and Compensation
• Descriptions of tends in various parts of the sector
• Forecasts for the future
• The information on Sectoral Dynamics
• The section on Scope, Distribution and Trends
• The section providing Characteristics of the Industry
• The Notes section
• The section with links to sources used

Additional Comments:

• Was there anything that would make Sectoral Profiles more helpful to you?
• [OPEN-END]

[TASK 15]

Well done!

Thank you for completing this Activity! We know it was a lot to ask and the rest will be much easier.

Once you have submitted your responses (by clicking "submit" below), please take a moment to check out the comments made by others in the community and click "like" and/or "comment" on their entries when they are of interest to you or if you agree with them.

And, be sure to check back in tomorrow for the final Activity – it will be much shorter!

Activity 4: Wrap-Up 

[TASK 1]

Overall impressions

All of the sites we have been looking at are types of labour market information that ESDC provides on a section of its website called the Job Bank. Now that you’ve spent some time getting to know what is being provided, overall, how helpful would you say the information provided in ESDC’s Job Bank is for those who are considering a career change, seeking a new job or trying to think about what sort of training or educational program to pursue?

[1-7 scale: Not at all helpful to Extremely helpful]

Please explain your overall impression.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 2]

Rating the Labour Market Information on Job Bank

Using a scale of 1-7 where 1 means you strongly disagree, 7 means you strongly agree and a response of 4 means you neither agree nor disagree, how strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the statements below? [RANDOMIZE]

[1-7 scale: Strongly disagree to Strongly agree]

• The information provided is easy to understand
• The information provided is thorough
• The information provided is credible
• The information provided is valuable
• I would use this site if I was considering a career change or looking for a job
• I would use this site if I was considering what training or educational program to pursue
• I would recommend this site to a friend who was considering a career change or looking for a job
• I would recommend this site to a friend who was considering what training or educational program to pursue
• The site was better than I would have expected
• The site would probably help anyone accelerate finding the right kind of job for them
• I like the format of the reports
• This is the best way to deliver this kind of information to me

[TASK 3]

Thinking of All That You’ve Seen

Below are images representing each of the different elements of ESDC’s Job Bank website we have reviewed over the past few days – Labour Market News, the Outlook section of a Job Report, the Wages section of a Job Report, Labour Market Bulletins, Environmental Scans and Sectoral Profiles.

Please sort the images in order of importance to you. Reorder cards by dragging them up and down or selecting "Move Up" / "Move Down" from card's menu. If you want to zoom in, use the magnifying glass in the top left corner of each photo.

[DISPLAY IMAGES REPRESENTING EACH OF THE SIX ELEMENTS]

[TASK 4]

Final Comments

Those are all the tasks we have for you. We really appreciate your participation. Before we wrap up, do you have any final comments or advice to offer ESDC on how it can provide you with labour market information that would be helpful to you if you were looking to those considering a career change, seeking a new job or trying to think about what sort of training or educational program to pursue.

[INSERT RESPONSE]

[TASK 5]

This concludes what we needed to cover in this online community. We really appreciate you taking the time to participate and share your views. Your input is very important.

Your incentives for participating in this online community will be mailed to you in 2-3 weeks.