Mississippi Efforts Recognized
Share Page
August 24, 2013
JACKSON, Miss. — Mohammad Jalaluddin, Director of the Office of Technology Development and Innovation was honored with the Merrill Baumgardner award, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security announced today. The Baumgardner Award is bestowed by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), to the individual who has demonstrated excellence in the field of automation in a state workforce agency.
Mr. Jalaluddin won the award for the work he did reengineering the MDES Unemployment Insurance IT system. The state-of-the-art system allows employers to register their business and to pay their unemployment tax online. People who are out of work use the online service to register for and certify for their weekly benefits.
“Mohammad’s outstanding work has made Mississippi the IT leader among state workforce agencies,” said Mark Henry, MDES Executive Director. “Because of our cutting-edge technology and the convenience it brings to our customers, the U.S. Dept. of Labor funded the expansion of our system to two other workforce agencies.”
The MDES Unemployment Insurance system was chosen as the prototype for Maine and Rhode Island, who are expanding their technology to allow their customers to file and certify online. Expertise from the MDES team is helping IT professionals in those states customize the online services application to fit their needs. A $90 million U.S. Department of Labor grant funds the project.
###
