Help wanted: Finding work and talent during the COVID-19 pandemic

Two weeks ago, the buzzword was “uncertainty.” A lot of employers issued short-term furloughs or temporary leave. Now, the one thing that does seem certain is that this situation caused by COVID-19 is going to last a while. If you find yourself unemployed, the silver lining is that COVID-19 has not affected all businesses equally—many companies are hiring right now, and it’s more than just doctors and nurses that are needed.

As essential businesses continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, they need to fill critical, immediate vacancies. There are high volumes of both temporary and full-time open positions as a result.

Two of West Michigan's largest employers, SpartanNash (careers.spartannash.com) and Meijer (jobs.meijer.com) are hiring for hundreds of positions throughout the region.

In addition to those options, there are hundreds of other jobs available, especially as previously non-essential companies retool their lines and transition to producing personal protection equipment (PPE) to qualify as “essential” during these unprecedented times. But for job seekers, there is now the unique challenge of trying to tell the difference between positions open now, and open positions that are posted, but may not begin until things are back to “normal."

West Michigan Works! (WMW), part of the statewide Michigan Works! system and the workforce development agency in West Michigan, offers a solution. It's where you can find positions of all kinds and resources to assist you throughout your job search.

On the WMW site, you can find the following information curated specifically for job seekers:

1. Weekly Hot Jobs page:jobs.westmiworks.org
   1. Lists temporary and full-time opportunities, categorized by county
2. At-Home Resources:
   1. Workshop Videos
   2. Job Search Resources
   3. Tips and Resources

WMW offers resources to both employers and job seekers.

If you are a business with immediate hiring needs, the WMW Business Solutions staff are working closely with employers who need workers to meet the increased demand created by restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak. They have temporarily removed some of the criteria for promoting openings on the weekly email that goes out to thousands of job seekers. Hundreds of retail and temporary job openings have been added to the Weekly Hot Jobs.

The state’s labor exchange site, Pure Michigan Talent Connect, is making changes to the site to highlight jobs that are needed NOW, and launching a virtual job fair platform that we will begin taking advantage of soon. The WMW site also houses toolkits, UIA fact sheets and other resources on their website related to unemployment and COVID-19. Employers are encouraged to contact the WMW Business Solutions team if they any questions or need assistance.

To keep their staff and customers safe, WMW will be delivering services by phone, online and through other virtual channels only. Additional information can be found at westmiworks.org