(Yicai Global) April 15 -- Global professional services company Accenture has launched a platform for leading firms to share their laid-off employees and vacant post information to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a statement from the consulting services firm yesterday.

This mechanism, known as ‘People + Work Connect’ connects companies from multiple industries. This employer-to-employer initiative is free for firms to participate in and leave, Accenture said.

Participants thus far include ADM, Baxter, Blue Apron, Cargill, Frito-Lay, Lincoln Financial Group, Marriott, Mondelēz International, Nordstrom, ServiceNow, Walmart and Zenefits. Over 250 companies are expected to come on board over the next week, and the platform will soon add public sector jobs.

This service enables companies to share their laid-off and furloughed employees in the system for free with other firms seeking talent with matching experience and skills. The analytics-driven system pools non-confidential and aggregated workforce information by categories such as location and experience.

As a global and cross-industry portal, the service can shorten unemployment periods, according to the statement.

Editor: Ben Armour