In order to make certain everyone who needs a job has a job we must understand exactly what opportunities are available. The idea behind Jobs.gov is to organize all job listings onto a single website where every permanent position in all 50 states would be easily searchable.
At the time of this writing, the Bureau of Labor Statistics spends $592.2 million per year to generate job numbers based on monthly surveys of 60,000 households. These numbers at best create a rough picture of the job market and do nothing to connect job seekers with employers. Additionally, the processes used to determine unemployment are particularly misleading. For example, if someone has earned any money whatsoever during a survey period that person will be counted as employed. Jobs.gov would inform the public and our lawmakers as to the reality of the job situation in any particular geographical area and/or professional field, while requiring essentially zero new effort from businesses.
Any person or company with permanent employees would be required to list their job openings at Jobs.gov. When hiring, employers would simply go to Jobs.gov and enter the company’s name, the job title, the requirements, responsibilities, and the pay, just as they would for any job posting. If for strategic reasons an employer wishes to keep their company name hidden from public view, they could do so. Job seekers would setup an account, and employers would simply record each hiring by clicking the position filled button once the position became filled.
Of course no one likes to be required to do anything so what about compliance? Businesses already deduct employee salaries when filing taxes. The number of job postings required of each employer would be determined by year-to-year tax claim variations. For example, if a company claims deductions for its five permanent employees (A, B, C, D, and E) in one year, then the next year claims deductions for its six permanent employees (A, B, C, X, Y, and Z); that means three people were hired (XYZ), and there should be a record of those three job postings on Jobs.gov. Random checks could be done to make certain the numbers correspond.
Accurate real-time jobs data would provide much needed clarity around the fundamental issue of employment, and would help us reach our fullest societal potential. While this idea is obviously open to the socialism critique, the jobs board industry could be bought out by the government at a win-win price.
At the time of this writing, the Bureau of Labor Statistics spends $592.2 million per year to generate job numbers based on monthly surveys of 60,000 households. These numbers at best create a rough picture of the job market and do nothing to connect job seekers with employers. Additionally, the processes used to determine unemployment are particularly misleading. For example, if someone has earned any money whatsoever during a survey period that person will be counted as employed. Jobs.gov would inform the public and our lawmakers as to the reality of the job situation in any particular geographical area and/or professional field, while requiring essentially zero new effort from businesses.
Any person or company with permanent employees would be required to list their job openings at Jobs.gov. When hiring, employers would simply go to Jobs.gov and enter the company’s name, the job title, the requirements, responsibilities, and the pay, just as they would for any job posting. If for strategic reasons an employer wishes to keep their company name hidden from public view, they could do so. Job seekers would setup an account, and employers would simply record each hiring by clicking the position filled button once the position became filled.
Of course no one likes to be required to do anything so what about compliance? Businesses already deduct employee salaries when filing taxes. The number of job postings required of each employer would be determined by year-to-year tax claim variations. For example, if a company claims deductions for its five permanent employees (A, B, C, D, and E) in one year, then the next year claims deductions for its six permanent employees (A, B, C, X, Y, and Z); that means three people were hired (XYZ), and there should be a record of those three job postings on Jobs.gov. Random checks could be done to make certain the numbers correspond.
Accurate real-time jobs data would provide much needed clarity around the fundamental issue of employment, and would help us reach our fullest societal potential. While this idea is obviously open to the socialism critique, the jobs board industry could be bought out by the government at a win-win price.