MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Chair, Dave Slutz, announced today the MassHire Greater New Bedford Career Center will be providing virtual services via phone and email beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mr. Slutz noted, “I and the Board Executive Director, Jim Oliveira, recently participated in a call with the Secretary of Labor who outlined how Career Centers statewide will continue to meet the needs of customers who need to file a claim or access services.” He continued, “We expect a large influx of layoffs in the weeks to come as a result of COVID-19. I want to assure the general public our Career Center is now ready to field questions and provide advice on filing an unemployment claim. In a nutshell, our career center employees are ready to assist in an innovative manner.”
Slutz continued, “There are 2 ways for those laid off to file an immediate unemployment claim. First, the most popular method is to file online at https://www.mass.gov/unemployment-insurance-ui-online between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. UI Online is designed to be accessed from a desktop computer or a laptop. Second, for those unable to access a desktop or laptop, there is a UI Call-In line available on March 18, 2020. The number to call is: 877-626-6800.”
While there will be no access by the general public in the Career Center for in person meetings, general inquiries may be made by calling the New Bedford Career Center at 508-990-4000. Calls will be recorded and call backs from Career Center staff will occur within 1 day of the placed call.
Mr. Slutz concluded, “COVID-19 is a real threat to our community and requires no public gatherings – in this case, I am confident the innovative approaches to serve displaced workers virtually is a great solution to assist them in a highly efficient manner. In addition the Career Center will be available to field business questions related to the state workforce system resources.”
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The MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board is a business led, business driven organization led by Mayor Jon Mitchell working cooperatively with the Massachusetts Department of Career Services and Governor Baker’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
