New Haven joined forces with Yale and other prominent companies in the area on Wednesday to launch New Haven Works, a program designed to fight unemployment in the Elm City.
The new program looks to streamline the hiring process for New Haven residents who are looking for a job. The program boasts connections with some of the biggest businesses in town, including Yale, Yale-New Haven Hospital, UIL Holdings, the City of New Haven and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. In addition to connections to New Haven companies, the program is designed to help explain the hiring process and help with resumes.
New Haven’s unemployment rate is currently at 11.3 percent as of May 29, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This marks a 0.1 percent increase in the city’s April 2012 unemployment rate. New Haven’s unemployment rate sits solidly above the national average — 7.1 percent, according to the BLS.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Attorney General George Jepsen, University President-elect Peter Salovey, Mayor John DeStefano and Jorge Perez attended the opening ceremony, which took place at the program’s headquarters on 205 Whitney Ave.