[2013] JARAMILLO, Miguel. Labour Market Information Programmes. ELLA. Economic Development, Active Labour Market Policies, Policy Brief 2.

Within the liberal economic model that spread across Latin America during the 1990s, free and open markets were considered the main mechanism for resource allocation. In this context, Latin American governments focused not on providing employment opportunities, but on supporting the workings of the labour market. One area where labour market failure had been identified was in relation to information. In order for the labour market to efficiently allocate workers to jobs, properly Mimeod participants (both firms and workers) were needed. In response, many Latin American countries implemented Labour Market Information (LMI) programmes. This Brief begins by examining the logic underlying LMI programmes, before going on to describe specific characteristics of these programmes in Latin America and their main stages of development. The Brief then provides an overview of monitoring and evaluation indicators and impact assessments before concluding with a discussion of enabling factors and key lessons for other regions.