Mayor Jim Strickland unveiled “HireMemphis” Wednesday, a hiring initiative to get more young people working in the city.
“In Memphis alone, there are 30,000 youth ages 16-24 who are neither employed nor in school,” Strickland said. “I see this as an additional byproduct and cause of our unacceptable high rate of poverty.”
“Hire Memphis” uses an online database to stitch together job availabilities throughout the city that could be a good fit for the targeted group. Employers on the site include FedEx, Lenny’s, AutoZone and International Paper.
Posting jobs is free. Only Memphis-area youth can apply for open positions.
“It is my vision that every child who wants a high school diploma, who wants a college degree or who wants a job that pays a living wage, that they have that opportunity,” Strickland said.
HireMemphis is different from the city-embraced MPLOY program, which is funded through state and federal funds. HireMemphis relies strongly on the private sector that Mayor Strickland is asking to step up. He stressed that the initiative cannot be “one-sided, but should cater to both employers and youth.”
“With ‘HireMemphis’ Mayor Strickland is looking to create one place to make it easier for businesses to hire young people locally and for our youth to find opportunities that will teach them how to excel in the workplace,” Alex Smith, the city’s chief human resources officer said.
“If we as a city achieve that vision, we’ll see lower crime, a more viable workforce, which translates to more jobs, and a better quality of life for all Memphians,” Strickland said.
(To see the job postings available, visit http://www.hirememphis.org. The site also provides tools to create resumes, write cover letters and help with interviewing.)
