The above questions were asked by a sixth grade student - Thank you for your questions on what topics our economists deal with here at the Labor Market Information Division (LMID). We have at least three people who work here who we call economists, meaning they have an advanced college degree in economics, either a Masters or Ph.D.

To help answer your questions, a link is provided for an occupational guide that was written by employees here at LMID for Economists and Market Research Analysts. While this guide was written in 2003, most of the information on what economists do, what skills they need, what education they must have, and where they work are still up-to-date.

Our economists do not study the environment, but there are economists who do study the environment and sometimes their studies can affect the environment. When you read the guide, you will see that economists deal with many different topics.

Our economists mostly study labor markets in California. That means they study questions like how many jobs there are, whether jobs are growing or shrinking, and what industries are located in various parts of California. There are other labor market topics that our economists study as well, but studying jobs and industries are the topics that take up most of their time.