Navigating the Labor Market Insights tool at Brown University is a great way to bridge the gap between your academic interests and real-world career data.
Here is a quick guide to getting started:
1. Choose Your Search Method
You have two primary ways to explore the data:
Keyword Search: Type a specific job title (e.g., “Data Scientist” or “Policy Analyst”) into the search bar.
Industry/Occupation Filter: Use the toggle to filter by broader categories if you aren’t sure of a specific title yet.
2. Set Your Geographic Parameters
By default, the tool shows nationwide data. If you are targeting a specific region:
Use the Nationwide/State dropdown to select a specific state.
Refine further by selecting Counties if you want to see data for a specific metro area (like Providence or San Francisco).
3. Analyze the Results
Once you select an occupation, the tool will generate a comprehensive report. Pay close attention to:
Core Tasks: Typical day-to-day responsibilities.
Employment Trends: Whether the field is growing or shrinking.
Education Level: The degree typically required for entry-level positions.
Annual Earnings: Salary percentiles based on experience.
4. Identify Skill Gaps
Scroll down to the Top Skills section. This compares the skills employers are asking for in job postings versus common skills found in candidate profiles. Use this to:
Identify specific software or certifications you should learn.
Tailor your resume keywords to match industry demand.
Find career data by selecting keywordsKeyword Search
or, by filtering for industry and occupationIndustry Search
First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)
Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)
Occupation Description
Employment Trends
The number of jobs in the career for the past two years, the current year, and projections for the next 10 years. Job counts include both employed and self-employed persons, and do not distinguish between full- and part-time jobs. Sources include Emsi industry data, staffing patterns, and OES data.
Top Employers
These companies are currently hiring for .
Education Levels
The educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold Bachelor’s Degrees vs. Associate Degrees). Educational attainment levels are provided by O*NET.
Annual Earnings
Earnings figures are based on OES data from the BLS and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
Technical Skills
A list of hard skills associated with a given career ordered by the number of unique job postings which ask for those skills.
Core Competencies
The skills for the career. The "importance" is how relevant the ability is to the occupation: scale of 1-5. The "level" is the proficiency required by the occupation: scale of 0-100. Results are sorted by importance first, then level.
Job Titles
A list of job titles for all unique postings in a given career, sorted by frequency.
This page includes information from the O*NET 25.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of
USDOL/ETA. uConnect in partnership with Lightcast has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not
approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
