Amid warnings about job scams on the Internet, local workforce development boards have launched a new web portal they say is secure and the first of its kind regional jobs website in the country.
Kix.com is Monster.com's first web portal focused on one region, the 26 counties with Louisville as hub.
K-I-X stands for Kentucky-Indiana eXchange. It's free to both employers and job seekers, and paid for with funds from the U.S. Labor Department.
"What do we know about jobs available now? What kind of jobs do we expect to grow? What are employers telling us? How can you connect to educational providers?" said Michael Gritton of Kentuckiana works, detailing the information on Kix.com, "And then the cool thing is, it also has an ability for us to tell our story to people from outside the region."
Gritton says a Kix.com survey of regional employers also provides a reminder to people seeking employment.
"A lot of people out there are going to have to think about going back to school or adding a certificate, or something that will help make them more marketable," Gritton said, "But the good news is, a lot of these employers expect the economy to be turning around in the next year in our region."
"This website is completely 100% safe. It is powered by Monster.com's technology on the back end of this," Gritton explained, "Monster is the leader in the field on this kind of stuff, I am 100% confident it's as safe as can be."
Saying that scam artists are trolling on jobs websites and Craiglist, the Better Business Bureau is warning the chronically unemployed not to suspend their common sense in hope of a job.
"Scam artists come out of the woodwork and prey on those who are desperate," said Reanna Smith-Hamblin of the Better Business Bureau. "Sometimes they'll ask for personal information and steal your identity. Sometimes they'll send you a check that looks absolutely real but it's not. They'll ask you to deposit it into your bank and then wire money to them as part of the job," said Smith-Hamblin.
As the unemployed simply ask "where are the jobs?" KentuckianaWorks says "here they are," with Kix.com's real time information about the jobs they think are growing in the next twelve months.
"The market has been very very slow in construction over the last two years," Gritton continued, "Some of that employer survey indicated optimism that people think that construction market is going to start to turn around in the next 12 to 18 months."
KentuckianaWorks says areas of job growth continue to be in healthcare and information technology.
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