Labor Market Insights

What & Why

This allows you to search the data using job titles, skills, or career-related terms. 
Use the “Nationwide” location to see general trends and median salaries, or filter by state to understand the state-specific trends and salaries.
This is ideal if you already know a specific position or skill you are interested in pursuing (e.g., “Civil Engineer” or “Leadership”). 

Pro Tip: Use generative AI tools such as Chat GPT to identify related job titles with the prompt “Help me find alternative or related job titles I could search for [insert job title]. Filter by responsibilities that include [brief description of role or field].” 

What & Why

This allows you to browse occupations within a specific industry without needing to know titles in advance.  

Use the “Nationwide” location to see general trends and median salaries, or filter by state to understand the state-specific trends and salaries.

This is ideal if you are exploring all of the options in a career field or industry.

For each career you explore, you will find:

• Job Description – A summary of what the role involves, including typical responsibilities and areas of focus. 
• Core Tasks – A breakdown of the main activities performed in the role.

How to Use:

• Understand the Role: Learn the daily responsibilities to see if the job fits your interests and strengths. 
• Explore Career Paths: Discover how similar tasks appear in other roles to broaden your options. 
• Compare Roles: Review and contrast tasks across different jobs to find the best fit
• Identify Skills to Develop: Use the listed tasks to guide your learning through internships, coursework, or extracurriculars. 
• Tailor Application Materials: Demonstrate relevant skills and tasks in your résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. 
• Prepare for Interviews: Use the core tasks to anticipate questions and share examples from your experience. 

The Employment Trends section helps you understand how demand for a career is expected to change over time. 

How to Use:

• Gauge Job Stability and Growth: See whether the field is expanding, shrinking, or staying steady over time. 
• Spot High-Opportunity Fields: Focus on careers with strong projected growth or rising demand in the state you are looking to live in.  
• Compare Career Options: Use job counts and projections to evaluate how one career stacks up against others. 
• Understand Market Outlook: Consider long-term fit and opportunities based on future projections. 

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Is this career trending upward or declining in the next 10 years? 
• Will this field still be relevant or expanding by the time I graduate? 
• Are there more opportunities now than there were two years ago? 
• How does the growth of this role compare to other roles I am considering? 
• Is this job growing nationally or only in certain regions? 
• Should I invest time in preparing for this field based on its future outlook? 

Pro Tip: Results will change based on the location filter you choose, so be sure to select the region where you want to work.

Top Employers– This section shows which organizations are currently hiring the greatest number of people for the specific career. 

How to Use:

• Gauge Interest: Do these organizations sound like places you would like to work?
• Target Search: Identify potential employers to target in your internship or job search. 

Pro Tip: Results will change based on the location filter you choose, so be sure to select the region where you want to work.

The Education Levels section shows you the typical amount of education or training needed for jobs in that field. 

How to Use:

• Understanding Need: It helps you understand what kind of degree, certification, or training you may need to qualify for roles in that career. 
• Guage Interest: If the highest percentage is a Master’s or Professional Degree, you will likely need to achieve this level of education to pursue this career field. Are you interested in gaining additional education?

The Annual Earnings section helps you understand the earning potential in a given field. You will find:

• Total Compensation: Includes base salary plus bonuses, tips, and other allowances. 
• Median Earnings: The midpoint salary, half of workers earn more, half earn less. 
• Percentile Breakdown: Shows how earnings vary across the workforce. You can expect to earn between the bottom 10%-25% when you first graduate..

How to Use:

• Realistic Expectations: These figures reflect a range of experience levels, not just entry-level pay. 
• Career Planning: Helps you set financial goals and understand long-term earning potential. 
• Location Matters: Salaries can vary widely by region, so use the location filter for more accurate insights. 
• Know the Range: Outliers and role differences can affect averages, showing the diversity of pay in the field. 

Pro Tip: Results will change based on the location filter you choose, so be sure to select the region where you want to work.

The technical skills and core competencies sections show what is commonly required for success in that role. 

• Technical Skills: Specific tools, technologies, and methods used in the job (e.g., UX design, coding languages, prototyping tools). 
• Core Competencies: Broader professional abilities like communication, leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration. This list will give insights into the level of importance each competency holds in the field.

How to Use:

• Identify Skill Gaps: Compare the listed skills with your current abilities to see what you need to work on. 
• Build Skills: Use platforms like LinkedIn Learning or other training resources to develop missing skills. 
• Tailor Application Materials:  Demonstrate relevant skills in your résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to match employer expectations. 
• Prepare for Interviews: Highlight your strongest skills and give examples of how you have used them in projects or work.
• Stay Competitive: Keep learning and uploading your skills as labor market trends evolve.

The list of job titles shows what titles are commonly used in job postings for that field. These titles are sorted by frequency and reflect the variety of ways similar roles are named across companies. Organizations often use different titles for the same type of position, and this list will help you gain an understanding of the range of titles you may encounter.

How to Use:

• Search Smarter & Explore Career Options: Use these job titles when searching on platforms like Handshake, LinkedIn, Career Shift, and other job boards to uncover more opportunities. This list can also help you discover related roles and broaden your understanding of the field. 
• Optimize Your Profile: Add relevant titles to your LinkedIn headline, skills section, and “Open to Work” settings to attract recruiters. 
• Network Effectively: Look up professionals on LinkedIn with these titles to learn how they got there and what their paths look like by networking or conducting informational interviews.