According to an announcement by Governor Martin O’Malley the state has launched a new website for jobseekers in Maryland. The Maryland Workforce Exchange program crawls other job search websites and employer websites to create a one-stop shop for Marylanders, the governor said.
“I share the frustration of many Marylanders whose hope for a quick recovery process is met with slower than expected job growth,” Gov. O’Malley said in a statement. “That’s why today, we’re launching a new innovative program to connect Marylanders to employment opportunities. Job seekers in Maryland can now search 80,000 presently open and active, real-time jobs across our State.”
Previous efforts by the state to aggregate available jobs could only scour up to 10,000 openings. But due to an additional $4 million in Recovery Act and Labor Market Information Green Grant funds, the state has been able to increase the effectiveness of their technology.
According to state officials, the tool allows users to search job postings by industry, location, and they can research what areas of the state are hiring for a particular industry or find training opportunities that correspond with certain jobs. Individuals can create resumes and cover letters using a wizard tool, complete skills assessments and apply for jobs on the site.
For employers, the site allows them to specify hiring preferences for certain kinds of job seekers, like currently unemployed or those who have used their unemployment benefits within the last 12 months, to qualify for the state’s HIRE tax credit. They also can create and maintain their own database of candidates, using the online tool.
The state website is built using a solution provided by Geographic Solutions, Inc., a provider of software solutions for workforce development, employment, and training.
