Facebook, the U.S. Department of Labor and other organizations announced a joint effort to help jobless individuals gain employment through the use of social networks.

The effort includes:

• Launching a central page on Facebook with content designed to help job seekers and employers at www.facebook.com/socialjobs.
• Exploration of ways jobs postings can be delivered on Facebook at no charge.
• An in-depth survey on ways job seekers, college career centers and workforce recruiters are using the social web.
• Promotion of existing government programs and resources for job hunters.
• Distribution of educational materials about leveraging the power of the social web to recruiters, government agencies and job seekers.

“Facebook is about connecting people so that they can share what’s important to them, and that is the driving force behind the social jobs partnership,” said Marne Levine, Facebook vice president of Global Public Policy. “We’ve brought employers, recruiters, college career services and government agencies together to help the millions of Americans who use Facebook find jobs.”

In addition to Facebook and the Department of Labor, other organizations taking part in the effort include the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

“Linking American job seekers with the resources they need to get back to work is a top priority of the Obama Administration and my department,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “By leveraging the power of the social web, this initiative will provide immediate, meaningful and ready-to-use information for job seekers and employers, and a modern platform to better connect them.”