Business Services Specialists

Purpose
Business Services Specialists (BSS) strategically locate employers who are hiring and serve as a labor exchange pipeline in supplying employers with qualified job seekers through hiring, recruitment, and retention services; and populate state and federal labor exchange databases with employers that are hiring to make all hidden job opportunities (up to 80 percent of otherwise unreported jobs) viewable to the general public.

Customers and Services
BSSs are available statewide to employers through WorkForce Centers at no cost to the employers and they coordinate labor exchange activities with Job Seeker Services. Employers are connected to hiring resources, such as qualified applicants, hiring incentives, tax credits, local programs, labor market information, business retention strategies, state and national labor exchange programs, and skill training for workers. Business partnerships are encouraged, such as coordinating efforts to hire persons with disabilities, veterans, youth, dislocated workers, and other targeted or designated groups. Business retention and layoff aversion services are also provided to businesses, in coordination with the Dislocated Worker Rapid Response team, to keep jobs and employers in Minnesota and to provide immediate assistance to workers who have been laid off through no fault of their own. Referrals to local, regional, and national resources are provided to address additional business needs.

Measures - Reporting period is state fiscal year (SFY), July 1 - June 30

	SFY 2009	SFY 2010	SFY 2011
Number of employer consultations	4,790	7,176	7,530

More DEED measures: Uniform Program Accountability Measures

Funding Source and Appropriation/Allocation
No direct appropriation/allocation. The BSS initiative is funded by Wagner Peyser, which already is reported on the Job Service summary.

Statutory Authority
-- Wagner-Peyser Act as amended by Public Law 97-300; U.S. Code, Title 29, Chap. 4B

Contact Information
David Niermann, Director
Phone: 651.259.7583; Fax: 651.215.3842; TTY: 651.296.3900

This information current as of December 2011.