As a regular visitor of WhyDoWork.com you may have noticed us pushing a contest sponsored by the US Department of Labor designed to seek out the best employment resources on the net. The top voted sites were to be included on the Department of Labor’s job site Careeronestop.org. Unfortunately we didn’t make the cut, but a great thanks to everyone who voted, and especially those who left some really positive comments.
Now I’m writing this blog post not out of bitterness or with a ‘negative-nancy’ attitude, but to highlight a gross oversight by the administration. They seemed to have forgotten about the fastest growing source of employment available to Americans and the rest of the world; work at home jobs. Its a niche where location, traditional stereotypes, or disability are not a concern. It is isolated from local employment rates, or your specific educational background, and is open to anyone with a computer.
Looking at the niche job boards on the
site they have captured:
- Specific Occupations
- State and Local
- Military and Government
- Older Workers and Seniors
- Diverse Workers
- Ex-Offenders
- Students
What about home based moms, dads, disabled workers, or anyone that wants to make additional income without having to resort to traditional on-site work? The administration has totally disregarded anything related to working from home; there isn’t one site mentioned that specialized in that niche. Great services like oDesk, Freelancer.com etc. all provide viable home based work. Whether it be call center support, transcription, or freelance, this is an important facet of the workforce. When a town is hit with high unemployment everyone doesn’t have to pick up and abandon the city, or have people sit around on unemployment without an idea of what to do. Citizens can look at the option of maintaining their life and lifestyle through online employment and freelance work.
Instead of ignoring the entire industry it would have been nice to have a section on the Department of Labor’s website dedicated to it. Where is the advice and direction for people considering the option of making money online or working from home? Let’s face it, the work at home industry is full of opportunity as well as scamming predators. This was a great opportunity to steer people in the right direction. With all the money the FBI spends on fighting ‘get rich quick’ schemes, this was an opportunity to highlight to job seekers the relevant sites that are actually working to improve the image of the home based workforce.
Let me just say to the United States Department of Labor, you dropped the ball on this one.
Your Friends in Tackling Unemployment,
WhyDoWork.com
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