Shaping Career Pathways: What SPR Learned from Speaking with Jobseekers, Career Counselors, Employers, and Industry Experts in New Jersey

Today’s labor market is rapidly evolving. Within this context, young people and career changers have a need for up-to-date, localized information about jobs— and, in particular, the “secret sauce” of what employers are actually looking for, and how to move up over time.

This is the sort of information that can be hard to get without knowing an insider. To make this information more widely available, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has developed a new tool for the MyCareerNJ website called NJ Career Pathways, which takes a new approach to both gathering and presenting career pathway information on key sectors for the state of New Jersey. One unique aspect of this approach is the involvement of employers and industry experts in the development of the pathways, ensuring they align with current workforce opportunities.

The NJDOL approach involves four steps: first, using labor market information (LMI) to identify a list of entry-level occupations and their associated career pathways for each sector; second, sharing this information with NJDOL, employers, and industry experts for initial feedback and reshaping of the career pathways; third, recruiting and interviewing up to 40 New Jersey employers and industry experts per sector, with the goal of gathering rich, in-depth information on skills and experience needed to enter and advance within particular career pathways; and finally, synthesizing this information into content for a new NJ Career Pathways tool on the MyCareerNJ website.

NJDOL contracted with us at Social Policy Research Associates to carry out and provide feedback on early stages of this work, starting in February 2025. In Year 1 of the project, we focused on four sectors:

• Healthcare
• Construction
• Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL)
• Leisure and Hospitality (and specifically, career pathways within restaurants and hotels)

In addition to generating content on those four sectors, we were also interested in gathering feedback on the prototype version of the NJ Career Pathway tool developed by NJDOL. To do so, we shared the tool with potential users such as jobseekers, community college students, and guidance and career counselors, to ask for their input on the “look and feel” of the tool.

Three key takeaways emerged from our first year of this career pathway development work, which are described below.

Takeaway #1: Combining Several Data Types Makes the Career Pathway Tool More Valuable for Jobseekers, Students, and Counselors

When we shared the prototype of the NJ Career Pathway tool with jobseekers, they told us that one of the things that stood out to them was how comprehensive the tool is, in that it provides common LMI like salary ranges and education and training requirements, but also other types of useful information, such as how to advance in their career and links to job openings and training opportunities in New Jersey.

In the words of a career counselor, “I think what’s good about this [tool] is that everything is under one roof, so to speak, instead of jumping from one side to the next and then you just do everything here.”

“It’s like a one-stop shop where you’re getting everything from the information about the job, the career progression, as well as if you’re looking for jobs within that realm, the link is there. So it’s like everything on one screen.” -Workforce customer

Takeaway #2: Employer and Industry Input Adds Location-Specific Substance and Nuance

As SPR shifted to putting together draft career pathways based on labor market information, we began to see where we had still had gaps in knowledge. For example, who is a good fit for these varying occupations? How do people move up?

We then began recruiting and interviewing employers and industry experts (such as training providers) to help address those gaps. These interviews provided some of the “secret sauce” for the tool to be able to provide New Jerseyans with accurate, comprehensive information about career pathways in New Jersey. Additionally, these interviews provided insights into the changing nature of these occupations and pathways that were not available through LMI alone.

We were able to learn in these interviews, for example, about how to get started and how to move up as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) in New Jersey. There was limited New Jersey-specific information available on that particular occupation, so we spent time speaking with employers and industry experts to better understand the nuances of the position, and what differentiates it from other healthcare occupations like Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

Takeaway #3: Career Pathways Vary in Shape and Complexity, Depending on the Sector

Lastly, we noticed as we updated the career pathway visuals based on employer and industry expert feedback that the structure of the pathways seemed to vary quite a bit, depending on the sector.

Healthcare career pathways such as the nursing pathway, for example, seemed to be well-defined, with clear entry points and credential requirements. On the other hand, Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL) career pathways are seemingly less distinct, with multiple entry points and points of connection and movement between the pathways.

Some potential reasons for the differing structures of the pathways emerged as we spoke with employers and industry experts for each sector. We heard, for example, about the key role of licensing in shaping the required steps and opportunities for advancement for some sectors, while for other sectors, we heard about the importance of industry experience.

Going Forward: Considerations for Those Working in the Career Pathways Space

While we believe this approach is helping to move our knowledge of career pathways forward, important questions remain. For example, how can we continue to support and improve access to career pathway information for all New Jerseyans? As career pathways evolve and new pathways emerge over time, how can that new information be easily integrated into existing resources for jobseekers? How can we support employers in accessing career pathway information, as well, to help them find employees?

As we continue to work on these questions, we’d love to keep the conversation going! Reach out to us if you have feedback, questions, or want to know more.