The document presents the findings of a study that tested the feasibility of determining whether classified help wanted ads in daily newspapers were an accurate reflection of local labor markets and of significant use to employers and job seekers. San Francisco and Salt Lake City Sunday paper want ads were coded and analyzed from 1968 to 1972 and employers and users of want ads surveyed. The results indicate that, contrary to commonly held assumptions, want ads alone offer a limited and often distorted picture of local labor markets. Six chapters include: (1) Inside the "Help Wanted" Ad Maze, discussing research methods and defining terms; (2) Use of Want Ads by Employers, discussing the value of want ads to employers; (3) Usefulness of Want Ads to Job Seekers, assessing the value of want ads to job applicants; (4) Help Wanted Ads and Local Labor Markets, examining the value of want ads as a source of labor market information; (5) Composition of a Metropolitan Newspaper Want Ad Section, comparing data from the two-city study with that of a subsequent twelve-city study; (6) Implications of the Want Ad Study, presenting a summary of findings. Summarized survey responses are appended. (LH)