DirectEmployers Association, a non-profit association of employersHistory

History of DirectEmployers Association and JobCentral

A group of leading U.S. employers, concerned about rapidly rising costs and the future and direction of Internet recruiting first discussed the concept of DirectEmployers Association and an employer owned-and-managed employment web site in late 2000.

The concept came to fruition in October, 2001 when DirectEmployers Association, a nonprofit consortium of employers, was incorporated. DirectEmployers Association's purpose is to share best practices, create new industry standards, provide research, and develop and manage Internet-based systems and software for employers to increase efficiency and reduce recruiting costs.

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In February, 2002, the Association developed and launched DirectEmployers Employment Search Engine, the Internet's first employment search engine dedicated exclusively to searching employment opportunities across corporate web sites.

NACElink, a national, integrated, web-based college recruiting system which allows targeted recruiting of students and alumni with specific majors at selected schools was developed and launched in January, 2003 in an alliance with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and a group of leading universities.

JobCentral National Labor Exchange, a service of DirectEmployers Association, was launched in April, 2005. The service utilizes DirectEmployers' popular employment search engine to link employers with experienced personnel in more than 6,200 U.S. cities, including the top 200 major metropolitan areas. JobCentral provides job seekers in all industries and occupations, from non-skilled and entry-level to chief executive officer, up-to-date information about employment and career opportunities, and a direct link to employers' web sites.

The JobCentral National Labor Exchange was selected by The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) in March, 2007 to provide job seekers, employers and states a cost-effective transition from America's Job Bank (AJB) when it is discontinued in June, 2007 as previously announced by the U.S. Department of Labor. JobCentral provides a wide range of employment services to participating state workforce agencies, from job listing distribution to and from state employment web sites to participation in the national labor exchange with other states.

In response to the federal government’s announced closure of America’s Job Bank, DirectEmployers Association developed "VetCentral" in April, 2007 to deliver federal contractors’ jobs to state web sites or to One-Stop Centers for the appropriate Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP). VetCentral provides employers Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance with the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act.