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OPA News Release: [04/07/2005]
Contact Name: Peggy Abrahamson or Camille Anderson
Phone Number: 202-693-4676 or x7909
Release Number: 05-620-NAT

Labor Department Kicks Off Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network Campaign

EARN Connects Employers with Workforce Talent and Solutions

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a nationwide outreach campaign to educate employers, workers and the public about a free recruiting service that meets employer staffing needs, lowers recruiting costs and impacts an employer's bottom line. The service, the Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network — EARN — matches employer job openings with productive and skilled employees with disabilities. EARN also provides information and technical assistance.

A release issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2002 and 2012, 35 million people will retire or change careers and those employers will need to replace that workforce. Between 2010 and 2030, the American workforce is expected to shrink by 10 percent. Recruiting and retaining workers with disabilities offers a valuable strategy to counter the effects of workforce and skills shortages.

“Recruiting and hiring people with disabilities is a sound business strategy used by successful businesses of all sizes nationwide,” said Dr. Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy during a Workforce Solutions conference in Granite Falls, Minn. today. “Studies show that employees with disabilities perform equally or superior to employees without disabilities, and EARN is a great resource for matching employers with employees who are well qualified to do the job.”

Grizzard and representatives of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) will be discussing the benefits of EARN at conferences and meetings in at least 18 cities across the country this year.

To begin using EARN, employers can e-mail a job posting or questions about recruiting and hiring people with disabilities to earn@earnworks.com or call the toll-free number, 1-866-327-6669. EARN has thousands of enrolled employment service providers nationwide seeking to place qualified individuals in job openings. EARN has placed candidates in positions in healthcare, law, information technology and management.

When an employer posts a job with EARN, we respond with information about only well-screened, qualified job candidates. If an employer has questions about how best to accommodate an employee with a disability, including conducting an interview, EARN has the answers, tools and resources to help.

For more information about EARN and the Office of Disability Employment Policy, please visit http://www.dol.gov/odep and click on the earnworks logo in the left-hand column.