Bridging the Unemployment Gap
YCD is focused on addressing the most critical needs of residents throughout the communities we serve. At the height of the pandemic, the rise in the number of unemployed workers due to COVID-19 was substantially greater than the increase due to the Great Recession. In an effort to alleviate this problem, our Neighborhood Job Center team has been hard at work cultivating partnerships with employers to ensure access to jobs for our customers:
YCD is currently running a pilot program with Amazon that expedites the process of background checks and drug tests; the processing time is cut in half for YCD referrals. Although the program does not guarantee employment, it aims to cut down on hiring time.
The largest Korean American grocery store chain in the United States had its first grand opening in the San Francisco Ingleside Heights neighborhood. The OMI Job Center went for the San Francisco local hire record by placing 91 San Franciscans in employment with H Mart!
The road to recovery for the labor market is uncertain, but YCD remains optimistic for our customers. Other employers have reached out in hopes to build local talent:
The Bayshore Boulevard Grocery Outlet has expressed interest in collaborating with YCD to build strong ties to the local community. Grocery Outlet wants to ensure community members have the opportunity to gain employment at their local store.
With similar interests, Tesla has teamed up with us to pull more talent out of San Francisco.
We are looking forward to a new partnership with the San Francisco Giants, who are offering multiple available positions.
YCD’s programs and services are designed to support community residents who are among the most under-represented within the city of San Francisco. If you are an employer who would like to join YCD in our road to recovery by bridging the unemployment gap for our residents, please contact Program Director,
Mark Aquino at maquino@ycdjobs.org.
By working together, we can achieve even greater change! Mutually beneficial, strategic partnerships can increase capacity and further the reach of our work to bring essential programs and resources to our community.