Labor Market Surveys

A Labor Market Survey (LMS) is a tool that can be used within Workers' Compensation programs to identify the types of employment opportunities that are available for an injured employee.

The surveyed information which is submitted-either to the injured employee, their representative, and/or the claims representative-may serve as documentation in support of a vocational recommendation.

For example, the LMS would reflect the occupations and wages available to the injured employee after completing a vocational training. Many times, a LMS is used to assist in the negotiations of a claim settlement.

The LMS is presented in a summary report format and also includes:

1. A summary of all contacts, such as company names, and the dates of contact.
2. The positions being surveyed, as well as the wages for the positions.
3. The date of the last hire for the positions surveyed, and whether or the not the position was available at the time of the survey.
4. The name of the vocational consultant who conducted the survey.
5. A reflection of whether or not the injured employee has the capacities to perform the job based upon information from the physicians in the file.
6. A statement of whether the job being surveyed matches the overall qualifications of the injured employee.
7. A summary defining the labor market as positive or negative based on whether or not there are sufficient job opportunities for the injured employee's area that would allow the injured employee to become employable.
8. Additionally, a LMS generally defines the injured employees' transferable skills.

As a result of the LMS, vocational recommendations may include:

• Job placement services and/or training to enhance the injured employees' skills so that he may return to substantial gainful employment.
• Case closure based on the injured employees' inability to become gainfully employed.