GRESHAM – During a visit to the Gresham office of the Oregon Employment Department, Gov. Ted Kulongoski helped launch the new iMatchSkills system, an innovative way to match employers and job seekers. iMatchSkills is a system that makes a job match based on skills, not job titles, enabling employers to easily find workers who best fit their job criteria and enabling job seekers to locate a wider array of jobs for which they qualify.

iMatchSkills is the first of its kind in the nation and was developed by the Oregon Employment Department as a part of the governor’s broader WorkForce Oregon Initiative, the state’s network of WorkSource Centers and portfolio of workforce services for businesses and workers.-The entire service is prepaid through employer payroll taxes.

When using the iMatchSkills system, job seekers can create resumes, compare themselves to the skills required for a job and then identify gaps in their skills that the workforce system can help span through training and education programs.-Companies (or public agencies) can also use iMatchSkills as their own internal recruitment tool. A large company could have all their employees enter their skills and then match for job openings on just their own staff.

Currently, iMatchSkills is being rolled out in Employment Department field offices for job seekers. This fall, iMatchSkills will be released to the Internet.-It will be available at www.WorkSourceOregon.org and www.workinginOregon.org.