People + Work Connect aims to bridge employment gap during tough times

A new initiative aims to help people remain employed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's being backed by major technology firms such as Accenture, ServiceNow, and Verizon.

The People + Work Connect will enable organisations with vacant job openings to see available candidates who could fill those vacancies. The platform is offered at no cost to organisations.

The platform, which is strictly business-to-business (B2B), allows companies to share the experiences and skills of employees who have either been made redundant or had hours reduced.

"By providing real-time visibility into which companies need people and where, People + Work Connect is designed to lessen the economic and societal impacts of the virus and help us work together to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people," says Accenture's chief leadership and human resources officer, Ellyn Shook.

According to a statement, the platform is global and cross-industry to maximize the ability to deploy people with similar skills in one industry into other industries where jobs are being created.

"Ultimately, this will shorten the complex, often lengthy cycle of unemployment for people. The analytics-driven platform pools non-confidential and aggregated workforce information by categories such as location and experience.

The platform, which was designed by Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow, and Verizon. Accenture built the platform in 14 days.

ServiceNow's chief talent officer Pat Wadors comments, "This crisis has created massive job loss and people need help finding work. By connecting companies that are hiring with a talented and available workforce, technology is truly acting in service of people. Working together, we can quickly make a meaningful impact on the people who need it most.

The platform will soon add 250 public sector jobs, in addition to 250 private companies. Already, participating companies include ADM, Baxter, Blue Apron, Cargill, Frito-Lay, Lincoln Financial Group, Marriott, Mondelez International, Nordstrom, ServiceNow, Walmart and Zenefits.

"Life is filled with many moments that matter, including some that are tougher than others. People remember who shows up during those tough times to help them through," adds Lincoln Financial Group executive vice president and chief people, please, and brand officer, Lisa M. Buckingham.

"A small group of CHROs came together because we share a passion for making sure that we—and the companies we represent—are remembered for addressing this tough moment with compassion and a sense of responsibility that transcends the business we do every day.

Verizon's executive vice president and chief human resources officer Christy Pambianchi adds that while the pandemic provided the inspiration, this kind of platform may well become the norm in future.

"Now is the time to build a more resilient workforce — for today and tomorrow," says Pambianchi.