While Utah's unemployment numbers continue to hover around six percent, well below the national average, The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) is taking a closer look at whether they are making a difference.
In the May/June edition of their publication "Trendlines," WFS executive director Kristen Cox addresses this very question and with the data to back it up, concludes with a resounding yes.
For example, DWS served more than 31,000 veterans last year and ranked 15th in the nation in helping veterans find and retain employment.
Utah also has the 5th best (shortest) duration rate for unemployment insurance customers nationally.
One of the key elements that lends to the success of DWS is their job matching system. This no-cost web-based system allows employers to recruit for new workers through an online service at http://jobs.utah.gov. The system then searches registered applicants and presents to the employer a list of job seekers matching their criteria.
For the quarter ending December 31, 2011, Utah's labor market included 22,465 hiring employers with 169,984 new hires. The job matching system represented 16.1 percent of the total number of hiring employers and an even more significant 32.4 percent of the new hires. The system is working. Standard Examiner
