Maryland Labor Agency Upgrades Online Tools For Unemployed Workers Seeking New Jobs

With unemployment rates stuck at stubbornly high levels nationwide, Maryland’s labor agency last week announced a major upgrade of its online program to assist job seekers in finding new work.

The upgrade dramatically increases the number of job openings that are linked to the Maryland Workforce Exchange website makes the site much easier to use, said Mike Raia, director of communications for the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Announcement of the website improvements comes at the same time that modest declines in local, state and national unemployment levels have been reported by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment in Harford County, for example, was most recently reported at 7.7 percent, down from 8.6 percent a year ago. Maryland’s statewide unemployment numbers are somewhat better. Statistics released last week pegged the statewide jobless level at 6.9 percent, down from 7.1 percent a year ago.

These high local unemployment rates are not as bad as those at national levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics last week stated that the March national unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, down from 9.7 percent a year ago. Those statistics, however, do not count all unemployed and underemployed workers, and some analysts estimate the true national unemployment level at approximately 15 percent.

Job seekers in Aberdeen and elsewhere who have not used the Maryland Workforce Exchange web portal in recent months might be well advised to revisit the site, Raia told Aberdeen Patch.

The labor department has installed a new “spidering” software program that vastly expands the pool of job openings that connect to the site, he said.

Currently, the portal provides links to some 70,000 to 80,000 job openings, compared to 10,000 to 15,000 job openings previously, according to Raia.

“The biggest new thing is that the site is more navigable, it is much easier to use,” Raia said. “We put the spidering technology in about three months ago, but Marylanders might not have been aware of that without the re-design of the portal.”

For people who need help using the site, and for access to other state services for the unemployed, Maryland’s 35 job centers remain open to provide individualized assistance for job seekers, Raia said.

In Aberdeen, the job center is operated through the non-profit Susquehanna Workforce Network and is located at 34 North Philadelphia Rd. The telephone number is (410) 272-5400. Information about the network is also available at www.swnetwork.org.

In Bel Air, the job center is located at 2 South Bond St., telephone (410) 836-4603, and in Havre de Grace the center is at 410 Girard St., telephone (410) 939-4240.

In related news, some 600 new retail jobs are expected to be created in Harford County by the opening of a . Most will be part-time positions, the company said, but as many as 200 of the jobs will be full-time. Applicants can apply on-line at www.wegmans.com.

Also hiring new workers in Harford County is Kohl’s Corp., the department store chain that announced last month it would operate a massive distribution center in Edgewood. The company said it expects to hire about 200 people right away, and may employ as many as 1,200 by 2014. Applicants can apply online at http://www.kohlscareers.com.