Opinion: Social media wrap: Got an iPad? The federal government wants YOU (to work for it)

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The federal government is hiring (surprise!).

With unemployment hovering just under 10% nationwide and many companies hoarding their cash rather than hiring amid continued economic uncertainty, a federal agency has launched an app for all those unemployed people who own iPhones and iPads.

The USAjobs.gov application allows a user to search a jobs bank of more than 30,000 federal positions and since its debut last week has been downloaded more than 50,000 times. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has hailed the program’s accessibility for prospective workers.

A Twitter feed that tracks the OPM but is unaffiliated with the federal government announced the release: http://bit.ly/dddhCn

‘USAjobs.gov is a hugely successful site that helps people identify employment opportunities with Federal government agencies,’ OPM Director John Berry said in a statement.

‘These enhancements are helping us make USAjobs even more accessible to the American public. It is part of our commitment to simplifying the federal hiring process and providing the public with the tools they need to join the federal workforce.’

Presumably, one of said tools is an iPad (which runs $500 plus for the basic model) or an iPhone (also pricey) although the app is apparently scheduled to be rolled out across other (similarly expensive) electronic hardware.

Since its launch in 2003, the non-iPad USAjobs website daily logs more than 450,000 visits and establishes over 9,400 new applicant accounts.

-- Craig Howie

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