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Labor Market Information The Research & Planning Section Outcomes of Our Work ---Economic Development ---Business Planning ---Workforce Development System ---Individuals Types of Data We Collect ---Covered Employment and Wages ---Current Employment Statistics

---Local Area Unemployment Statistics ---Mass Lay-Off Statistics ---Occupational Employment Statistics ---Employee Benefits Survey ---Projections Adding Value to the Data Through Analysis ---Publications ---Special Projects ---Internet Sites Credits

Data
Analysis
Narrative
Information  you can use

Labor Market Information is used in policy making, planning, program administration, and as a direct consumer service. It is the collection and analysis of data involving labor supply and demand.         - Labor Supply encompasses all the information regarding individuals in the workforce; including skills and educational characteristics of the employed and unemployed, barriers to employment and unemployment rates.         - Labor Demand pertains to information regarding employers; including prevailing wages and benefits, current job vacancy levels, occupations and skills of the employed and unfulfilled skill needs of employers.

The Research & Planning Section of the Wyoming Department of Employment is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Employment and Training Administration . We provide statewide and local labor demand and supply information. Each state has a similar agency. Contact us:

Wyoming Department of Employment Research & Planning 246 South Center P.O. Box 2760 Casper, WY 82602-2760

Phone: (800) 987-8172            (307) 473-3807 Fax:     (307) 473-3834          E-Mail: doe_r&p@state.wy.us

Outcomes of Our Work Economic Development The information we provide helps government, firms, economic developers and individuals track growth and decline; analyze long-term economic trends; estimate income levels in particular areas; and plan marketing strategies and new business locations. A Jackson firm has initiated a search for a site for a manufacturing plant. The company president, Bob, reviewed employment benefits and payroll data by industry to assess the labor costs and labor supply at potential plant sites. To ascertain the potential labor supply in different communities, Bob reviewed the numbers of annual graduates from technical training programs relevant to his firm’s skill needs, and he investigated the numbers of experienced job seekers registered at State employment centers.

		Business Planning Employer data, including survey responses, make accurate labor market information possible. As a result of employer cooperation, Research & Planning offers employers aggregate data and analysis to help them decide whether or not they pay market wage, aid in bidding jobs and renewing contracts, meet alien wage certification when hiring foreign labor and understand the effects of demographic changes in terms of future labor supply. Lona, a corporate planner at a community bank, routinely uses labor market information including employment trends, labor force growth rates, and industry breakdowns to assess the health and outlook of local and regional economies in the areas served by the bank. The employment data help to validate area business strength. Industry breakdowns track shifts in the region’s economic activities.
		Workforce Development System College curricular developers and training program operators can apply our research methods to measure and project the labor performance of students and program participants. A career counselor, Lee, wants to know if the technical training programs in his college are effective. Do they prepare students for meaningful work opportunities in their field of study and in meeting the skill needs of their employers? Lee’s college is working with Research & Planning to track the labor market interactions of college graduates. Summary information on earnings and the results from employers’ satisfaction surveys will be published as consumer reports. Lee expects these reports to help him inform prospective students and parents about what to expect from his college’s training program. This type of information will also help board members and administrators plan and fund the programs that make a measurable difference.
		Individuals Jobseekers, career counselors and other individuals can use our information to determine which occupations and jobs, as well as which areas within the state, pay the highest wages. Workers can also access information on requirements for occupational licensing within Wyoming. Joe will graduate this semester from Casper College with a joint applied science degree in welding and construction technology. He can’t decide where in Wyoming he wants to live and work, but he wants to maximize his earnings both in the short- and the long-term. To provide direction to his job search, Joe consulted the Wyoming Wage Survey and compared the statewide and regional breakdowns of hourly wages for entry-level and experienced-level welders and construction workers. Also, the Employer Database, part of ANSWERS site on the Internet, led him to business contact information on firms located in areas that pay higher average wages.

Types of Data We Collect To gauge industrial demand and supply of labor . . . Quarterly Covered Employment and Wages Quarterly Covered Employment and Wages (QCEW) are organized by industry and include the number of firms, monthly employment and total wages for the state, and counties. The data are produced from employment and wage reports of employers subject to Unemployment Insurance coverage. All data are based on place of work rather than place of residence. Typically, QCEW data are reported six-months after the quarter of collection. Current Employment Statistics The Current Employment Statistics Program (CES) is a monthly survey of non-farm business establishments used to produce estimates of employment, hours and earnings by industry for state and metropolitan areas. The data are collected using survey forms returned by employers each month rather than from Unemployment Insurance coverage.

Click on chart to view.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data are produced from a monthly household survey of a sample of the total working-age civilian population. They are used in conjunction with CES and Unemployment Insurance claims data to estimate local area unemployment. The data are used to develop monthly estimates of the labor force, employed and unemployed for the state and counties. Mass Lay-Off Statistics Mass Lay-off Statistics (MLS) report monthly on layoff actions by industry.

To track trends in employee compensation . . . Occupational Employment Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) are a listing of occupational wage data compiled from annual surveys of non-farm industries. All states participate in the OES survey. This means that they obtain data in the same way, allowing direct cross-state comparisons to determine whether or not local salaries are competitive. The R & P LMI internet site contains links to the OES data for each state. Employee Benefits Survey To provide a more complete picture of total compensation, the Employee Benefits Survey provides comprehensive data on the types of benefit plans offered by Wyoming employers. To stay ahead of booms and busts . . . Projections Long-term industrial and occupational projections are estimates on the labor market and economy ten years into the future.

		Adding Value to the Data Through Analysis Publications
		Wyoming Labor Force Trends is a monthly publication that analyzes trends in the work force, including analysis of change in employment by industry, average weekly hours, and average weekly and hourly earnings. It is generally used as an overall indicator of economic growth or decline in a given area. Trends also includes a monthly feature written by a Research & Planning staff member on a subject relevant to the Wyoming workforce.
		Outlook 2010: Occupational and Employment Outlook to 2010 explores the potential of Wyoming’s major industries to grow, decline or remain stable in the years to come.
		Outlook 2010: Employment Outlook to 2010 (in .pdf) describes what the jobs will be in the next few years as well as who will fill them.

Special Projects To bring our resources and methods to bear in addressing the specific economic and labor market research need of Wyoming customers requesting our help, Research & Planning has contracted with or collaborated on several projects. One major advantage for our clients is that the studies or reports that result from collaboration rely on the same data as used in setting statewide benchmarks for economic and labor market decision making. In recent years our partners and clients have included: BBC Research and Consulting Casper College Local Economic Development Associations Wyoming Business Council Wyoming Community College Commission Wyoming Department of Administration and Information,            Division of Economic Analysis Wyoming Department of Family Services Wyoming State Forestry Division Wyoming’s State Legislative Service Office Internet Sites LMI Internet site provides Wyoming labor market data in HTML and PDF formats.  It is continually updated with our most recent information.   All Research & Planning publications are available for viewing and downloading.  Links are also available to the LMI site for each state as well as U.S. national data. ANSWERS is part of America’s Labor Market Information System (ALMIS).  It is a demographic and labor market information database that provides map-driven access over the Internet for anyone interested  in Wyoming labor market information.  Among other things, the site includes a comprehensive database of Wyoming’s employers and licensed occupations.