Lightcast

Lightcast Lightcast is the global leader in labor market intelligence, empowering smarter decisions for businesses, education institutions, and governments worldwide.

At Lightcast, our software products, APIs, and consulting solutions bring clarity to the fast-changing world of work. Formerly Emsi Burning Glass, Lightcast has over two decades of experience in finding solutions and delivering the competitive edge our clients demand. With world-class customer service, we provide the answers and insight to meet your specific need—because every decision made withou

t data is just a shot in the dark. By helping communities, businesses, and education institutions succeed, our ultimate goal is connecting individuals with the right skills and right jobs in the right places. People are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to create a job market that works for everyone.

08/31/2026

Educators are asked to train the future of the skilled-trades workforce, but until now didn't have a definitive list as to what those jobs are. We aimed to provide them clarity as to the exact occupations that encompasses. That's what our newly released skilled trades classification grouping does.

It gives all of us a starting point to have conversations and take action related to this work that is so important to keep society running smoothly.

Anyone and everyone can find the occupations list we've created here: https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

Note: Lightcast customers can access this SOC codes list right now in Analyst/ Developer.

We're excited to share our SVP of Education, Ray Sass, will be a guest lecturer this fall for the Harvard University Gra...
08/31/2026

We're excited to share our SVP of Education, Ray Sass, will be a guest lecturer this fall for the Harvard University Graduate School of Education's "Leading Workforce Learning in the Age of AI" seminar, developed in collaboration with the GSV Workforce Insights Board.

It's part of HGSE's new Workforce & Workplace Learning Concentration — a first-of-its-kind program focused on the learning that happens at work.

Throughout the seminar, fellow members of the GSV Workforce Insights Board and Ray will bring different vantage points — from across industries and career paths — to conversations with students about where learning and work are headed as AI reshapes both.

Here’s a side of the AI boom that deserves more attention:**Data centers added a net 315,000 skilled-trade workers over ...
08/31/2026

Here’s a side of the AI boom that deserves more attention:

**Data centers added a net 315,000 skilled-trade workers over the last five years.**

Every new facility creates demand for people who can build, wire, install, maintain, repair, and operate the physical infrastructure behind our increasingly digital economy.

That demand is landing in a labor market that was already tight.

The AI workforce conversation needs to include the skilled trades.

Read our new research: https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

What EXACTLY are 'skilled trades'?Despite growing concern about shortages of electricians, technicians, construction wor...
08/30/2026

What EXACTLY are 'skilled trades'?

Despite growing concern about shortages of electricians, technicians, construction workers, and other skilled professionals, the skilled trades have historically lacked a shared definition.

That has made it difficult for US employers, educators, policymakers, and workforce leaders to compare data, identify talent gaps, and coordinate investments for America’s essential workforce.

So, we decided to create THE definitive list.
135 occupations.

Explore the list, and understand the lengths we went to to ensure it was comprehensive and accurate. Plus, learn more about why a focus on skilled trades is absolutely imperative right now in the United States. https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

More than 8,000 aerospace-related job openings. More than 830 employers. An average salary above $62,000. And 99% of the...
08/28/2026

More than 8,000 aerospace-related job openings. More than 830 employers. An average salary above $62,000. And 99% of these roles require less than a bachelor’s degree.

Lightcast data helped reveal the scale and accessibility of Minnesota’s aerospace opportunity—insight that now underpins a new $1.5 million NASA-funded workforce hub led by Minnesota State.

These numbers give education, workforce, and economic development leaders a clearer view of where opportunity exists and what it will take to connect people with it. With Lightcast data, any region can identify its strongest industries, understand the skills and credentials employers need, and build education and training pathways around real demand.

Minnesota is putting that intelligence into action across aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and related technical fields. Other communities can use the same approach to uncover their own competitive advantages, make a stronger case for investment, and prepare people for the jobs shaping their local economies.

Read more: https://www.edtechinnovationhub.com/news/nasa-awards-minnesota-state-15m-to-build-midwest-aerospace-workforce-hub

The US skilled-trades retirement challenge has a geography.The Northeast faces the greatest near-term retirement risk, w...
08/28/2026

The US skilled-trades retirement challenge has a geography.

The Northeast faces the greatest near-term retirement risk, while the Southwest and Mountain West have comparatively younger skilled-trade workforces.

That should influence decisions being made today about training capacity, talent attraction, economic development, and employer workforce planning.

Because knowing how many workers you have isn’t enough.

You need to know who may be leaving next.

See the state-by-state picture: https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

For 7 of the 10 most in-demand skilled-trade occupations, the US faces significant labor shortages.Look at the distance ...
08/27/2026

For 7 of the 10 most in-demand skilled-trade occupations, the US faces significant labor shortages.

Look at the distance between openings and completions in this chart.

That distance represents something very real: employers competing for scarce talent, projects waiting for workers, and enormous opportunities for education and training providers that can align programs with demand.

The skilled-trades challenge is also a program-alignment challenge.

See what the data tells us — and what leaders can do next: https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

Every company has an AI story.But there’s a more fundamental question organizations need to answer: Is your workforce da...
08/26/2026

Every company has an AI story.

But there’s a more fundamental question organizations need to answer: Is your workforce data ready for AI?

That’s one of the themes Mark Hanson explores in this conversation with RedThread Research.

Many organizations are moving quickly on AI while still working through fragmented job architectures, sparse internal data, and disconnected skills information. And AI is only as useful as the intelligence it has to work with.

That’s where external labor market intelligence can play an important role — providing benchmarks, enriching internal workforce data, and giving AI systems a stronger foundation for everything from learning to career pathing and talent marketplaces.

The next opportunity is making that intelligence available wherever organizations already work: across HR technology, cloud data environments, and increasingly, AI workflows.

Here, Mark Hanson shares more about how Lightcast is approaching that future — including global data expansion, skills transformation, MCP, and making workforce intelligence more portable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA5pj6Aw_J4

Ask five people to define the “skilled trades,” and you may get five different answers.That’s a problem when we’re tryin...
08/26/2026

Ask five people to define the “skilled trades,” and you may get five different answers.

That’s a problem when we’re trying to measure shortages, invest public dollars, build education programs, or plan a workforce strategy.

We set out to establish a common starting point.

Our definition identifies 135 hands-on, in-person occupations that do not require a four-year degree, but do require apprenticeship training, a certificate, education up to an associate’s degree, or other on-the-job training and experience.

135 occupations. One shared framework. A much clearer picture of the labor market.

Download the research and complete occupation list: https://lightcast.io/resources/research/defining-the-skilled-trades

Of our customers who use AI, 89% of them note that they find our trusted data more critical to them in this era of hallu...
08/26/2026

Of our customers who use AI, 89% of them note that they find our trusted data more critical to them in this era of hallucinations and potential misinformation.

Lightcast data is reliable. Period.
And when you're talking about people's lives and livelihoods, that trustworthiness incredibly important.

You deserve data that works.
Learn more how our customers rely on our labor market intelligence, in our impact report: https://lightcast.io/about/impact-2026

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