Helping job seekers while reducing costs
As the efforts to save taxpayers money by reducing costs for government services have ramped up, new digital tools provide the opportunity to deliver programs that connect Mississippi residents with job opportunities at a lower cost.
“We are in the middle of revamping a lot of the ways we serve Mississippians,” said Jason Pope, Deputy Executive Director of Workforce Programs and Services, Mississippi Department of Employment Services (MDES). “There have been some cuts in federal dollars coming into the state. We have fewer WIN Job Centers around the state and we are looking for ways to continue serving areas where there were cuts. One of the best ways to do that is innovative tools where folks can still access our programs and services. This allows us to operate in new ways to service everyone.”
One effort is a mobile unit that can go anywhere in the state with an interactive tool similar to a virtual teller at a bank. Job seekers can go in the mobile unit, hit a button, and talk to a live MDES representative in the Jackson MDES call center.
“We can assist them a lot of times just over the video call, or we can connect them to the closest WIN Job Center if they need to come into an actual office,” said Pope. “We are building on our traditional platform. And now these tools will allow us to go into underserved areas where we aren’t physically represented. All this is very innovative. We are not just operating like we have operated forever. We want to effectively help Mississippians get jobs, which is our mission.”
MDES is rolling out a pilot study that provides an interactive digital access tool at convenient locations provided by partners in underserved areas. One will be located at the Ricks Memorial Library at Yazoo City. There is also a digital access center opening at the Southwest Mississippi Community College in Pike County. Other interactive tools will be dispatched at some WIN Job Centers across the state. If it takes off, more will be deployed across the state.
“This is a new way to serve people by providing access to MDES programs and services no matter where they are in the state,” said Pope. “It is a very cost-effective way to continue serving Mississippians efficiently. We also have Governor’s Job Fairs across the state, and are looking to do something similar with digital job fairs. Job seekers could talk to vendors at the job fair, and set up meetings with them. It would be another way to supplement what we are doing with face-to-face job fairs and expect job fair attendance to increase.”
Job search assistance with digital delivery allows a great deal of information to be passed along in the most efficient manner possible. People can save time and money by getting job assistance through digital delivery—without having to drive to a WIN Job Center—and can access opportunities not just locally, but anywhere in the state. Employers benefit by being able to find job applicants at a period of time with some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state’s history.
“Digital tools are a cost-effective way to continue doing what we have been doing all along,” he said. “We are excited about it. We think there are a lot of opportunities. It will go a long way in helping people with job assistance and some of the other services we have traditionally offered. If we don’t have a presence in their community, it is hard to help them short of them having to drive a long way to get to a WIN Job Center.”
The MDES digital programs are helpful particularly for eliminating barriers some people in rural areas have, like the distance to a WIN Job Center or lack of access to the internet. Pope said MDES will be strategic in placing these access stations so they will be highly visible. They will be installed in areas where there is high foot traffic like county offices, libraries and other community centers.
“We’re testing some of that right now to determine where the most volume is going to be,” said Pope. “We are starting with five devices across the state and are going to survey the folks using them to ask their thoughts. Keep in mind, this is not AI or an AI bot. This will all be done internally with MDES employees. There will be real Mississippians answering calls. Job seekers will see another live human face through the monitor. We take pride in Mississippians helping Mississippians.”
Pope said they already know there is a need for the services. Every Monday morning, people are waiting in line to get job information at WIN Job Centers.
“We hear from elected officials that they want us to be in their communities,” said Pope. “We have four excellent local workforce development areas across the state, and are working with all four to help connect people to jobs and possible job training.”
Is everyone going to use these devices? No. But if people walk into a WIN Job Center and there is a long line, they might leave–or they could choose to use one of these. Interactive tools that are becoming more mainstream. An example Pope gives is you can go to fast food restaurants and stand in line to order, or you can order through kiosks.
Pope said the new tools cost about $3,000. If all goes well with the pilot system—and that is what he expects—the program could be rolled out across the state. In addition to locations in public spaces, they could be used at conferences and community events like a county fair or a festival.
“Everyone who has seen it has liked it and been impressed,” said Pope. “I expect some other state agencies will replicate what we are doing. Those agencies could tag along with our tools or get their own interactive tool and do something similar.”
Another free tool for people with smartphones is the MDES Mississippi Works App where job seekers create a profile, and can search through more than 45,000 jobs listed in MDES online employment services.
“That is a key tool MDES uses to post jobs throughout the state,” said Pope. “You can use that tool on your own to search digitally for jobs.”