Local information about unemployment rates, wages, unemployment claims, and projected growth in various occupations and industries is now just a few mouse clicks away.

The Employment Security Department has created a Number and Trends online tool that makes local workforce-related information easy to find. The site is located at http://www.workforceexplorer.com , then click on Numbers and Trends Tool under “What’s New?”

“We have a lot of labor-market information available on our Web site, but it can be complicated to find it,” said Karen Lee, commissioner of the Employment Security Department. “We created Numbers and Trends to help citizens quickly find the most popular data in one place.”

From an initial summary page, a visitor to the site can view popular workforce indicators and then drill down further to get more details. Easy-to-use tutorials guide users to desired data and teach them how to find that information in future visits.

Although the tool was designed primarily for economic developers, workforce specialists and education planners, the Web-based tool can be used by anyone to get a snapshot of the work force for any area of the state.