State Launches Job Portal to Connect Out-of-Work Residents to Opportunities in Critical Industries

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TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy March 24 announced the launch of a new online portal to connect New Jersey residents with jobs in critical industries responding to COVID-19. The jobs portal is available here: https://jobs.covid19.nj.gov. Employers in critical industries should submit information about openings with urgent hiring needs related to COVID19 here: https://jobs.covid19.nj.gov/intake. 
According to a release, “My Administration’s top priority is helping New Jersey residents and businesses overcome the unprecedented disruptions COVID-19 is causing while staying healthy and safe,” stated Murphy. “The jobs portal will give residents who have lost their jobs or seen their hours reduced an opportunity to get back to work while also providing crucial support to the industries that are on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic.”
The jobs portal already has more than 12,000 openings and more are being added every day. These openings are in industries that are critical to New Jersey’s COVID-19 response, such as grocery stores, shipping and logistics, healthcare, janitorial services, human services, and warehousing. By connecting workers to these new openings, the tool will allow New Jersey residents to get back to work while increasing these key industries’ capacity to perform their essential duties. 
“Helping workers who have seen their jobs disappear or had their hours reduced because of COVID-19 is one of our most pressing responsibilities,” stated Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “The jobs portal is a central component of our efforts to help these New Jersey residents get back to work and connecting them with openings in industries that play a vital role in fighting this virus will contribute to keeping us all healthy and safe.”
The State has created a special intake tool for employers seeking to have openings posted on the portal. Employers can access the intake tool directly via https://jobs.covid19.nj.gov/intake. 
“COVID-19 presents a variety of new challenges for businesses throughout the state, but our employers are stepping up, and we’re doing everything we can to support their efforts to go above and beyond for our safety,” stated New Jersey State Chief Innovation Officer Beth Simone Noveck. “Providing an easily-accessible online resource that will help essential businesses fill staffing shortages benefits everyone and contributes to a safe, effective response to the virus”
Job openings currently available through the portal are primarily in industries that are central to the State’s COVID-19 response, but going forward the portal will expand to include any businesses that need to tap into New Jersey’s talent resources. 
“COVID-19 is directly impacting New Jersey’s physical and economic health in ways we have never seen before, but we are up to the challenge,” stated New Jersey Economic Development Authority Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “The new jobs portal launched today takes on three of our most pressing challenges at once: putting residents who lost jobs or had hours reduced back to work, supporting businesses that provide crucial services, and ensuring we can all stay safe and healthy through this challenging time.” 
Additional information about New Jersey’s COVID-19 response is available at https://cv.business.nj.gov.