Facebook Joins Labor Secretary Solis, Non-Profit Employment Groups in Announcing Social Jobs Partnership to Assist American Job Seekers

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Facebook, the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), DirectEmployers Association (DE), and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) announced a joint commitment to create the Social Jobs Partnership.  The partnership's goal will be to facilitate employment for America's jobless through the use of social networks.

The social web is a growing presence in virtually every facet of the economy – including workforce recruitment. According to an independent survey by NACE, more than 70% of college career centers have a Facebook Page, and a Jobvite poll conducted in 2010 showed that 92% of respondents have recruited or plan to recruit via social networks.

In the interest of getting people back to work, the partnership will pursue a number of initiatives designed to more effectively leverage social networks in the job market:

• We will launch a central Page on Facebook that hosts resources, and content designed to help job seekers and employers: facebook.com/socialjobs.  Facebook will launch public service announcements on Facebook to promote the Page in the 10 states with the highest unemployment rate, and Puerto Rico, which has an unemployment rate of 16%.
• We will conduct in-depth survey research about the ways in which job seekers, college career centers, and workforce recruiters are using the social web.  
• We will explore and develop systems where new job postings can be delivered virally through the Facebook site at no charge.
• We will promote existing government programs and resources for job hunters.
• We will distribute educational materials about leveraging the power of the social web to recruiters, government agencies, and job seekers.

"Facebook is about connecting people so that they can share what's important to them, and that is the driving force behind the Social Jobs Partnership," said Marne Levine, Facebook vice president of Global Public Policy. "We've brought employers, recruiters, college career services and government agencies together to help the millions of Americans who use Facebook find jobs."

"Linking American job seekers with the resources they need to get back to work is a top priority of the Obama Administration and my department," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.  "By leveraging the power of the social web, this initiative will provide immediate, meaningful and ready-to-use information for job seekers and employers, and a modern platform to better connect them."

"Given the current economy and its impact on the job market for college students, the National Association of Colleges and Employers is pleased to be a part of the Social Jobs Partnership. NACE's thousands of college career center and employer members are at the center of the growing social media phenomenon as they interact directly with student and alumni users of social media. This new coalition will connect a great team of organizations in meeting a critical need for strengthening national employment resources with social media and we are excited to be part of it," said Marilyn Mackes, NACE Executive Director.

"DirectEmployers Association, with a member-base of leading U.S. and international employers, is excited about the opportunity to partner with Facebook and other members of the Social Jobs Partnership coalition to provide employment services that serve the needs and are in the best interest of both job seekers and the international human resource community," said Bill Warren, the DirectEmployers Association's Executive Director.

"The National Association of State Workforce Agencies is enthusiastic about the prospect of joining Facebook and other organizations in the Social Jobs Partnership.  NASWA looks forward to helping employers and jobseekers use workforce services through social media," said Rich Hobbie, NASWA Executive Director.

About Facebook

Founded in February 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

About National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)

NASWA is a DC-based, private, non-profit organization serving as an advocate for state workforce agencies' programs and policies, a liaison between federal and state workforce system partners, and a forum for the exchange of information and effective practices.  NASWA's state agency members administer the public workforce programs including employment services, job training, labor market information, and unemployment insurance in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.  Please visit www.naswa.org for further information.

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, 600 plus member employer association.  As provided in its corporate bylaws, a board of directors consisting of member company representatives manages the business and affairs of the Association. Its mission is to provide employers an employment network that is cost-effective, improves labor market efficiency and reaches an ethnically diverse national workforce.  For more news and information, please visit www.DirectEmployers.org.

About National Association of Colleges and Employers NACE

NACE connects college career services professionals and HR/staffing professionals focused on college relations and recruiting. The professional association forecasts trends in the job market; tracks student attitudes, the job search, internships and salary information; reports on legal issues in employment and hiring practices; and, provides professionals with benchmarks for their work.   For more information please visit http://nace.naceweb.org. 

Contact: Andrew Noyes, +1-202-370-5118, [email protected]

SOURCE Facebook