Benchmarking the Importance and Use of Labor Market Surveys by Certified Rehabilitation Counselors

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to benchmark the importance and use of labor market survey (LMS) among U.S. certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs). A secondary post hoc analysis of data collected via the Rehabilitation Skills Inventory-Revised for the 2011 Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification job analysis resulted in importance and use ratings across 11 content items and 11 demographic variables. This research suggests that labor market analyses, of which LMS could be a component, were considered to be along a continuum of important or extremely important by CRCs and performed along a range of very infrequent to very frequent. Data suggest that those CRCs reporting the highest frequency of use of labor market analyses were older and male, possessed education in rehabilitation-orientated areas of study, had more than 20 years of post-CRC experience, were in the private/proprietary rehabilitation or private practice practitioner professional settings, and held the title of forensic/expert witness or rehabilitation consultant/specialist. For all survey items studied, employment setting and job title were found to be significant in the frequency of use of labor market analyses. Limitations, delimitations, and areas for further study were discussed.

Labor Market Surveys: Importance to and Preparedness of Certified Rehabilitation Counselors

“…The same methodology used by Barros-Bailey and Saunders (2013) The RSI-R sample from the 5/16/11 population database collected information regarding the CRC's state of residence. However, the closest population statistics about the states of residence of CRCs are not available for 5/16/11 but for 5/4/11.…”

“…Almost a quarter of CRCs (23.2%) had less than 5 years of experience. The benchmarking study by Barros-Bailey and Saunders (2013) deduced that this is likely caused by the change of the CRC exam from paper-to computerbased testing that provides greater opportunities for graduate programs to use it as a comprehensive exam, thus capturing more students exiting graduate programs and entering the profession. The second largest group of CRCs (20.8%) had 5-9 years of experience; thus, nearly half (44.0%) of CRCs in the sample have less than 10 years of experience.…”

“…She illustrates the use of the model through a case example (Barros-Bailey, 2012c) and analyzes the approach by another author and identifies how each of the LMS's components implicitly or explicitly relates back to the 12-step LMS model (Barros-Bailey, 2012a). Recent literature also benchmarks LMS use among rehabilitation counselors (Barros-Bailey & Saunders, 2013).…”

“…Likewise, Van de Bittner, Toyofuku, and Mohebbi (2012) report adapting their LMS format from one provided by the US Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs 20 years ago. Thus, the competency is assumed to have been part of practice for at least 30 years (Barros-Bailey & Saunders, 2013). However, it is only in the last decade that such competency has been measured distinct from the knowledge about "occupational and labor market information" on the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification's (CRCC) role and function study instrument beginning with the 2002 study (Leahy, Chan, & Saunders, 2003).…”

“…In Barros-Bailey and Saunders' (2013) benchmarking study, the use of labor market analysis (LMA), of which LMS is the primary data component, called for the study of CRCs' ratings of importance and preparedness for performing LMS for greater clarity for education, professional development, and training. Therefore, this study uses descriptive and inferential statistics in ex post facto research to answer the following questions:…”