Dave Moore, Staff Writer
Michael Wood, Manager, Education & Workforce
In the same vein as car manufacturers and clothing makers producing ventilators and protective medical face masks, the Dallas Regional Chamber has expanded its Say Yes to Dallas talent attraction site to assist workers displaced by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The “Connecting Displaced Workers to Jobs” platform lives on the DRC’s Say Yes to Dallas talent attraction campaign page and includes listings broken down by sector, including hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores, food service, and warehouses.
“Many of our hard-working neighbors find themselves out of work through no fault of their own,” said Dale Petroskey, DRC President and CEO. “The DRC is doing all we can to help by connecting them to thousands of job opportunities and other resources so they can quickly get back on their feet.”
The site offers links to help displaced workers who need:
- leads for in-demand jobs;
- access to online courses to upskill into high-demand, well-paying jobs;
- childcare resources for parents involved in essential work; and
- links to help workers to file for unemployment claims.
The site uses an autonomous web scraper to identify job openings in the Dallas-Fort Worth Region.
“Many of these full-time and part-time jobs have been posted following the increase of COVID-19 cases in our region,” said Drexell Owusu, Senior Vice President of Education and Workforce for the DRC. “Based on our preliminary analysis, there is significant need among essential employers in the Dallas Region, and we want to make sure the displaced can find their way to these paying roles as quickly as possible.”
Job opportunities include shelf stockers at grocers, nurses, business-development specialists, and delivery drivers, and will be updated regularly in partnership with Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas. The Say Yes site continues to function as a resource for companies or individuals seeking to relocate to the Dallas Region.
As part of a broader initiative to assist displaced workers, the DRC is also partnering with Uber Works to better fill the emerging workforce gap for hourly and shift workers. Uber Works, which launched earlier this month in Dallas, connects shift workers looking for temporary employment opportunities in general labor, customer service, production, and commercial cleaning with participating employers.
“Uber Works is pleased to partner with the DRC to help displaced workers find access to earning opportunities,” said Andrey Liscovich, CEO of Uber Works. “In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever that businesses on the front lines, including grocery stores and other distribution centers, are able to connect to the workforce and support the increased demand for essential goods.”
Employers and workers who wish to learn more about how to post openings or seek positions should contact workforce@dallaschamber.org.