State Web site matches jobseekers, companies

The site, http://rapidresponse.ded.mo.gov, is part of the State Rapid Response program, which provides information and assistance to help alleviate economic and unemployment distress resulting from layoffs.

Following notification and confirmation of a layoff, a State Rapid Response coordinator arranges an on-site meeting with the company and union officials – if applicable – to help displaced workers find jobs. The meetings include information about résumé workshops, career counseling and unemployment insurance, according to the site.

Downloadable documents at the site list the coordinators for each of Missouri’s four regions as well as Missouri Career Center locations and contact information.

The Missouri Job Vacancy Survey also is part of the revamped site and provides information about the number and type of job vacancies throughout the state, including real-time access to regional labor demand, labor availability and skill-set data, according to a news release from Gov. Matt Blunt’s office.

Job vacancy statistics available at the site cover a variety of topics, including wages and benefits offered, education and experience requirements, and full- or part-time status.

DED’s Division of Workforce Development and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center developed the site in conjunction with the Metropolitan Information and Data Analysis Services division of the Public Policy Research Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.