Can startups fight unemployment? Introducing Work for America

You might also say that startups fight unemployment already, by creating a cadre of jobs. They do, but most of that impact is felt in the neighborhoods of the startups -- Silicon Valley runs an unemployment rate of as low as 4% vs. 7.8% nationally.<p>Sending work to job training programs in the rest of the country lets us share the love a bit.

Temp work is bad in the long term. Employers do not have to provide benefits for temporary employees, and they also have access to less privileges from the government. This approach is a race to the bottom IMO.

This seems like the sort of endeavor that healthcare reform would ostensibly serve for- by providing a broad solution that an enterprising organization or effort like this can stick on to provide insurance for those who sign up.

These jobs are all things I would outsource to Amazon MTurk for cheap. (and you can specify US ONLY too)<p>Yet no one claims using the MTURK API helps others "develop employable job skills"... website testing, cheap content writing and data entry aren't exactly the types of skills employers are unable to find when hiring.

How about creating a temp firm/staffing agency branded for ethical treatment, real benefits, focus on keeping people in longer-term roles. Then if tech companies used them first, even if they cost a bit more, they could feel good. Tax law should perhaps incentivize contractors receiving benefits.

I mean, I started job-buddy.com to help the unemployed. That's something...

"Data entry" is "Job Training"? Seriously?<p>Couldn't this result in bad publicity? "Hot startup XYZ said they'd train me to get a job in tech and all I did was data entry for 3 months and I still can't get a job"