Global, proven technology offers a new way for government and community-based organizations to work together to assist the country’s growing number of unemployed

Chicago, IL (January 28, 2009) – QuietAgent today announced the enterprise release of its Workforce Management Edition (WME), which will enable cities across the country to implement a common technology for efficiently managing opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed. 

The QuietAgent WME is a web-based toolset designed specifically for capturing and managing profiles for the unemployed and underemployed through community programs, and advancing them to become workforce-ready candidates. Its goal is to provide an infrastructure that allows various organizations to build employment communities that are able to connect to each other in a controlled, private and secure manner.

Changes released today, which also deliver full self-service web tools for able workforce candidates, are in preparation for a city-wide implementation to be announced in March. The implementation will see all Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and public entities such as the Mayor’s Office connect and collaborate using the WME technology.

The WME has been used for over five years by workforce organizations and governments globally, powering New Zealand’s entire welfare system job matching program since 2004. It has also been used by non-profit agency National Able since 2006 to help people enter or re-enter the workforce as quickly and easily as possible.

The system allows CBO case workers to maintain quality résumé information in one place for all their job seeker clients. When jobs become available, searches can be created to match an employer’s needs, and shortlists of suitable candidates can be presented for interview. QuietAgent employers in the wider community also search all workforce job seekers every time they search to fill a job, while maintaining the anonymity of the workforce job seeker and involving their case worker in the recruitment process.

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting large and widespread job losses across most major industry sectors during December, and a rising unemployment rate of 7.2 percent, workforce organizations will face an increased workload in 2009.

“The WME gives workforce organizations sophisticated tools to optimize their daily job matching and placement activities,” said Jason Kerr, CEO of QuietAgent. “Having the ability to utilize QuietAgent’s powerful links with other government and workforce organizations and local community employers and recruiters will allow unprecedented efficiencies in connecting people to jobs.”