JobConnect, a service of the Nevada Division of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, is offering help to employers and their employees during times of layoffs.
The Rapid Response program sends personnel from JobConnect to the employer's location to help those getting laid off. They can inform the laid-off workers about job services available to them, how to file for unemployment, and answer questions.
"This is a proactive thing we can do for employers who are about to lay people off," said Michelle Garton, the Employment Security Division manager at the Carson City JobConnect office. "We don't have a magic wand or anything, but it's something we can do to help."
"Some people haven't had to apply for a job in 20 years, or maybe they have never filed for unemployment before," Garton said. "What we are seeing now is people who have never had to think about these things in a long, long time."
Garton said they even have a program to talk to manufacturing workers whose jobs are being outsourced to other countries.
JobConnect also has other services local employers can take advantage of. The most popular, according to Garton, is On-the-Job Contracts, where employers can get reimbursed for up to 50 percent of a new employee's wages during an initial training period of their employment.
For employers to qualify, they must be up-to-date on their unemployment insurance payments, and they must hire someone who is not currently employed. Garton said the program is very helpful for all types of businesses, from large corporations to small mom-and-pop operations.
"So if a company is now thinking they want to hire another person, but the costs of getting them started are too high, they can talk to one of our business service reps," Garton said. "That's part of their unemployment insurance taxes that they pay, so it's something they can get in return."
Business reps Phyllis Nolze and Christina Slade have 55 years of combined experience working with companies on employment issues, and can guide them through the process.
"They know the environment, they know the employers, and they go out to meet with employers all the time," Garton said.
Another service JobConnect can offer to help companies trying to hire employees is to have the applications come directly to the JobConnect office, where they can be pre-screened before passing eligible candidates on to the business. With so many people out of work, Garton said companies can get flooded with applicants, many of whom aren't qualified.
JobConnect even has a conference room that businesses can use for job fairs.
"We are trying to get out and let employers know about these services, because we have the resources to help," Garton said.