“It’s a no-brainer: Nonprofit MEDA has almost 100 qualified jobseekers in our pipeline and there are employers needing workers right now. My job is to connect the dots,” explains Workforce Development Manager Miguel Velasco. This is a major shift from a year ago.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the Latino and immigrant community of San Francisco was hard hit. Restaurants shuttered. In-home daycare providers had no kids to watch. Empty offices didn’t need to be cleaned. The Latino unemployment rate skyrocketed, and our families struggled to pay rent and even put food on the table each night.
A MEDA Evaluation team survey of over 1,600 Mission community members seeking services from our nonprofit during the pandemic found that while citywide unemployment rates peaked at 13% in May 2020, 71% of our clients reported losing their job during the pandemic, and 52% reported that their spouse lost their job.
Flash forward to today and news stories galore claim that reopening businesses are shorthanded. That’s where Velasco has the answer.
“Employers seeking San Francisco workers should reach out to us. Our team has been getting potential employees prepared to reenter the workforce, and MEDA can make the connection at no cost to either,” says Velasco.
By prepared, he means his hardworking team has been busy helping community members hone their resumes, participate in mock interviews and be offered job training — all for free.
To make the best matches, MEDA is seeking businesses that: preferably are based in San Francisco, for ease of commutes; do not require English fluency, as MEDA’s workforce clients are 90% monolingual Spanish speakers; and are having issues filling jobs in sectors running the gamut from janitorial/custodial to housecleaners and food service/dishwashers to stockers.
Prospective employers should note that the majority of MEDA’s pipeline of jobseekers are ready to be interviewed today, can start a new job right away and do not necessitate benefits (although that would be a plus for our community members.)
“I encourage San Francisco employers to reach out to us today. They have an urgent need for workers, and our community members are ready for jobs in which they can take pride as they provide for their families. It’s a win on both sides,” concludes Velasco.
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Are you an employer in San Francisco seeking free connections to jobseekers?
Contact MEDA’s Miguel Velasco: mvelasco@medasf.org.
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