- Center for Urban Research
- New York City Labor Market Information Service
- Career Planning and Information Tools
Career Planning and Information Tools
We develop customized information tools for jobseekers and the practitioners who help them, such as career maps, career exploration brochures, occupational profiles, employment reports and more. These materials are intended to help strengthen connections between jobseekers and employers through providing data-driven insights into labor market demand.
Career Maps and Guides
Understanding how people actually progress in their careers can help you plan your future. To offer a more accurate depiction of common career paths that exist in and around the NYC metro area, we analyzed online work histories and interviewed industry representatives with intimidate knowledge of hiring practices and talents demands.
Career maps are customized to particular industries or anchor occupations and reflect up-to-date data. Below are some examples of career maps and brochures to illustrate the types of products that can be commissioned by LMIS.
Our Methodology
LMIS has over a decade of experience creating customized career maps and career exploration brochures. Our graphically illustrated career mapping tools are informed by a mixed-methods research approach to data collection: quantitative, labor market-informed data complemented by customized qualitative research. To perform the set of in-depth analyses that inform our career profiles and maps, LMIS identifies industry experts and professionals from relevant employers (city and state-level departments, representatives of unions associated with these departments, nonprofit and private employers), as well as other materials and relevant sources of information. LMIS also identifies and incorporates relevant educational and training opportunities made available through government, educational, and private institutions within a specific local geography.
Qualitative data is sourced through customized field surveys and/or individual expert interviews or focus groups through which LMIS gleans additional perspectives on job entry points, career pathways, talent needs, and expectations. LMIS analyses of labor market and qualitative data yield comprehensive career map pathways with data visualizations and an accompanying narrative to offer an in-depth profile of anchor occupation titles and connections to others like it, including a discussion of what the work is like, where it is performed, job descriptions, salary ranges, how to enter, routes to advancement, required education and training vs. preferred education and training, work experience requested by employers, skills and knowledge requirements, relevant certifications, and other factors for success, as well as links to training and education programs within target geographies, e.g. New York City. Descriptions are tailored to promote accessibility, as is standard for our career maps, to ensure that content is easily understandable and inclusive. Career maps may be static and formatted as downloadable resources, or designed as interactive, web-based tools.
The NYSED/CUNY CareerKit project is a comprehensive career preparation resource for teachers and counselors in New York State. Its goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to make informed choices about their career paths. CareerKit activities are written at the HSE/Upper ESL level, with adaptations possible for Pre-HSE and intermediate ESL levels. Each of the CareerKits addresses one of ten industry sectors and integrates reading, writing, research and math skills.
NYCLMIS provided contextual labor market data for this project.
NYCLMIS and Grant Associates created 12 career pathway brochures for youth and young adults to explore opportunities in some of New York City’s top industries. The brochures are part of a larger effort to infuse career exploration and preparation into New York City public school students’ academic experiences.
The goal of the project is to open students’ eyes to the thousands of jobs unknown to those outside the industry, to strengthen their understanding of the requirements for different jobs, and to reinforce the idea that increased levels of education, training, and experience lead to advancement, higher salaries and broader opportunities for career fulfillment.
Available brochures:
Released March 2019
We experience marketing and advertising every day. We may be riding the subway, using an app on a phone, watching TV, or listening to a podcast. We take in information through multiple media. Marketing activities are designed to spread the word about a product or service. There are many audiences, including consumers and other businesses. Marketing tries to increase awareness of and desire for a brand. It tries to get people to choose one product or service over the competition. Advertising is one out of many marketing methods. Others are public relations (PR), market research, social media, and customer service.
Written and designed with support from The New York City Department of Education, this career map shows the typical experiences of people who work in the marketing and advertising industries.
Released March 2019
New York City is a worldwide magnet for film and TV production, and the industry is an important part of the city’s image and economy. Think of all the movies and TV shows made and set in New York City. Remember how many times you have walked by a movie or TV show while it was being filmed on New York City streets. Many people move to New York City specifically to work in film and television. There are multiple careers in film and television, both on-screen and off-screen.
Written and designed with support from The New York City Department of Education, this career map shows the typical experiences of people who work behind the scenes in the film and TV.
Released March 2019
Businesses and organizations of every type and size need people to help them function and grow. This sphere of jobs includes the people who keep track of finances, conduct administrative and office management services, and handle purchasing and procurement. They keep track of income and expenses, making sure money comes in to pay bills and employees. They manage the flow of resources in an organization or business. They can work anywhere: for private companies, non-profits, or the government.
Written and designed with support from The New York City Department of Education, this career map shows the typical experiences and trajectory of people who work in business and accounting.
Released March 2019
Computers and other smart devices are made up of hardware and software. Hardware includes all of the
physical parts of a device, like the power supply, data storage, and microprocessors. Software contains operating instructions that are stored and run by the hardware. Other names for software are programs or applications. Software includes operating systems—like Windows, Apple, and Google Android—and the applications that run on them— like word processors and games. Software applications can be run directly from a device or through a connection to the Internet.
Written and designed with support from The New York City Department of Education, this career map shows the typical experiences of people who work in software development.
Released October 2016
More than 100,000 people in New York City work in the bookkeeping and accounting field, and these jobs are growing faster than the average for all jobs in the City. Written and designed with support from the CUNY Kingsborough Community College Center for Economic and Workforce Development, this career map shows the typical experiences of real people who started off as accounting clerks and bookkeepers in the New York City metropolitan area.
There are two clear paths. On the first path, most people remain accounting clerks and bookkeepers or become supervisors, office managers or business managers. On the other path, about a quarter of those who had been accounting clerks and bookkeepers complete their bachelor’s degrees and become professional accountants, where pay is significantly higher. They may then move into different branches of accounting or specialty areas related to accounting
Released in July 2016
Technology is everywhere and so are tech jobs. With virtually everyone using computers, smartphones, tablets and other devices, demand continues to rise for people who can answer user questions and make sure that everything is operating smoothly.
Written and designed with support from the CUNY Kingsborough Community College Center for Economic and Workforce Development, this career map explores actual career progressions of people 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years after starting out as an IT Support Specialist/Technician, Desktop Support Technician, Help Desk Analyst, or in any other general entry level tech support position.
Released December 2014
New York City is a culinary capital with large numbers of restaurants, hotels, cafeterias and gourmet food markets. Cooks and chefs work in all of these places. Designed and written with support from the CUNY Kingsborough Community College Center for Economic and Workforce Development, this career map explores actual career progressions of people 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years after getting their start in professional cooking
Released December 2014
Designed and written with support from the CUNY Kingsborough Community College Center for Economic and Workforce Development for the CUNY CareerPATH initiative, this career map is based on the real-life experiences of people who have worked as home health aides in the New York metropolitan area. It shows actual career progressions 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years after starting work as a home health aide
Released February 2014
This career map was the first that was based on the real-life experiences of people who have worked as Medical Assistants in New York State. The data shows that, while many Medical Assistants remain in the same type of work for at least five years, those who move into related careers can move in several different directions, including clinical health, health administration, technical health and clinical research.
This brochure was made possible with support from CUNY CareerPATH
Released March 2015
What are the employment opportunities in the emerging Health Information field? Health information jobs are a good option for detail-oriented people who want to work in the growing healthcare industry, but who prefer not to work hands-on with patients.
Planning Your Career in Health Information is a user-friendly guide to careers in health information management and technology.
Download the Health Information Career Exploration Guide
The guide takes the reader through the various stages of managing health information - from gathering and recording to assuring data quality, billing, and analyzing – and details the occupations, salaries, education and experience requirements, and the career paths within and across these stages. The information technology section looks specifically at the jobs in hardware, software, and cyber-security within healthcare institutions. All of this is complemented by a table outlining health information management and technology certificate and degree programs at City University of New York colleges and community based organizations, including options for stacking credentials where applicable.
Planning Your Career in Health Information is a tool for job-seekers, incumbent workers, job developers, career counselors, educators, administrators, and human resource personnel. The guide demystifies the job opportunities and career ladders within this field of growing importance to the healthcare sector, helping New Yorkers and the workforce development community to plan accordingly.
Research and graphic design for this new brochure was funded by the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH) and made possible by a grant from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation.
Occupational Profiles
Educational institutions and workforce training providers can use the profiles to align their training, career advising, and job placement activities to the demands of the labor market. Jobseekers can use them to better understand occupations in these fields, determine whether their interests and aptitudes match up with these occupations, and plan their careers.
Profiles typically include information on wages and employment trends, job characteristics, employee characteristics and qualifications (including required education, training and/or licensing), the abilities and skills necessary to succeed, and other relevant details.
In addition to standard individual occupational profiles, we have also produced the following subsets/special highlights.
As part of our work with CUNY CareerPATH, LMIS prepared quarterly real time labor market information reports that helps the program managers, job developers, career counselors, and the students themselves to: identify which employers are searching for candidates; understand overall and seasonal hiring trends; locate where in the Metro area are the job openings; identify the skills, tools, and technologies in demand; and see actual job ads.
In collaboration with the New York State Department of Labor, LMIS prepared profiles of 10 of occupations found in the state's green economy. The profiles were produced as part of the larger Statewide Green Jobs Study.
In our report, Gauging Employment Prospects in New York City, 2009, LMIS profiled nine industry groups of great interest to New York City's labor market and public workforce system. The profiles contain information about job and wage trends, largest local employers, employment retention during previous recessions, occupational opportunities, and workforce facts. The information can be used by workforce development professionals for business development, job placement, career counseling, and curriculum planning. Jobseekers can also use the information contained in the profiles to help make career decisions.
