Governor Announces State-of-the-Art, Web-Based System that Electronically Connects the Unemployed with Potential Job Openings

Governor David A. Paterson today announced a revolutionary E-Government tool that will help nearly 875,000 unemployed New Yorkers receive job leads in their regions immediately. The Department of Labor's ground-breaking, web-based Skills Matching and Referral Technology (SMART) 2010 program analyzes resumes for skills and work experience, then electronically contacts unemployed New Yorkers via e-mail, recommending job openings in their areas to them based on their past work history, experience and skills. Every unemployed New Yorker is encouraged to visit their nearest One-Stop Career Center to get immediate help in crafting a resume. Once a resume is completed in an electronic format, a Labor Department counselor will feed the resume into the SMART 2010 system. Within 24 hours of submitting a resume, the individual will receive an e-mail containing 1 to 10 job matches from the Department of Labor’s database of employment opportunities. Job openings will be within a specific geographic radius, depending on the region. These e-mails will continue every day thereafter. Customers without an individual e-mail account or computer skills are encouraged to receive assistance from the Department of Labor staff.