Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Madison, Wis. – High-school and college students and others counting on summer jobs are being encouraged by Wisconsin Job Centers to begin their job searches now.

"Wisconsin’s strong economy means good-paying jobs are out there, but young people should start looking now to make sure they land the best-paying ones," Mark Liedl said.

Many employers are firming up their summer hiring plans now, said Liedl, Executive Assistant in the State Department of Workforce Development (DWD). DWD is a key partner in Job Center operations throughout the state.

Liedl said an estimated 72,000 people in Wisconsin will celebrate their 18^th birthdays this year, a time when jobs often become more important to them and they have more employment options.

And tens of thousands more youth and young adults of other ages also will be looking for work between their spring and fall academic semesters.

Employers with jobs to fill also are being asked to make contact with Job Centers as soon as possible,

"Our Job Centers are a great resource for employers who want to reach a large number of qualified job-seekers in Wisconsin’s tight labor market," Liedl said. "More employers should take advantage of this valuable recruiting tool," he added.

Employers should not be discouraged if their past efforts to fill openings on their own have not been as successful as they’d like.

He said Job Centers and the Job Center-based JobNet are among the important resources employers and jobseekers of all ages should use when they are looking to find or fill both seasonal and non-seasonal jobs.

 "Employers having problems finding workers for their vacancies – and many are – don’t want to overlook any available resource, nor can they afford to do so," Liedl said.

"Job Centers and JobNet are two very good sources of help which are effective, comprehensive, convenient to use, and for which no fees are charged."

Each Center has account representatives for employers who can help expose their job openings to a wider audience and help them increase their recruitment effectiveness.

There are 76 locally-operated Job Centers in Wisconsin. People can find the one nearest them by calling toll-free 888/258-9966 any time.

JobNet is a resource also available to anyone with Internet connections which has become Wisconsin’s single-largest source of openings for job applicants from every skill level. "There are over one million job searches conducted annually on JobNet," Liedl said.