YS Talent, a veteran employment agency previously known as Youngblood Staffing in the greater Wilmington area, has changed its name to Hire Scene to go along with a newly developed mobile app that aims to expand employment options for the local, state and, eventually, the national workforce.

The change leads a new era of innovation in the employment industry while tapping into the gig economy to provide more user-friendly ways to connect job seekers and venues, officials said Tuesday in a news release.

While YS Talent is now under the Hire Scene name, ownership has not changed and the company continues to be a private, family-owned business. However, the emphasis will now be not only in Wilmington but across the United States, said Mike Youngblood, founder and CEO of Hire Scene. And that market for the app is expected to expand further, he said.

“We have intentions for this to [expand outside] the United States,” Youngblood said.

Between the combination of traditional methods and new technology, the app provides additional ways for the workforce to connect instantly with the jobs that match their skills and lifestyle, said Youngblood.

The company worked closely with Centennial Campus of N.C. State University to develop technology that will allow the company to serve not only the nation and connect with the traditional workforce that it has always worked with, but "to connect us in a new way with the gig economy -- to people who want to create their own schedule and their own lifestyle," Youngblood said. 

"There is a talent shortage in a number of areas today ... So for an employer to meet all their demands for qualified employees, we feel they need to adapt to the changing conditions in the economy," he said. "Almost a third of the employees in this last year have worked some time in the gig economy." 

According to Intuit, the gig economy is estimated to be about 34 percent of the workforce and expected to be 43 percent by the year 2020, officials said in the release. 

The app works similarly to the "online taxi service" that has changed the way people travel, he said. A person can go to their mobile device, download the app, and register their skills and type of work they would like to be a part of. Then, the team at Hire Scene does a video interview, background testing, and all the traditional work done by the company. Eventually, the worker will be accepted into the areas that they are qualified for. 

"When they turn on their app, they will see live jobs near them in real time," Youngblood said. And that means an employer could potentially connect with a prospective hire in minutes, he added.

The Hire Scene app is designed to instantly link app users to immediately available, flexible employment opportunities in the hospitality industry, according to the release.

By combining artificial intelligence algorithms, social media and mobile technologies, Hire Scene creates rapid connectivity between venues and app users and allows both parties to mutually rate their experience once jobs are completed, stated the release. 

The company has lit up markets in Wilmington and Raleigh, so far, Youngblood said. Next, he said, the app will infiltrate the Fayetteville and Charlotte.
 
“YS Talent has been a staple in the Wilmington community for more than 32 years, filling thousands of jobs annually and donating valuable time to non-profits,” said Billy King, director of membership services of Wilmington Business Development, in the release. “Hire Scene reflects both energy and innovation, a powerful combination that provides partner businesses and job seekers alike the tools they need to stay ahead in our evolving economy.

"Wilmington continues to see growth as an emerging tech hub, with a low unemployment rate and promising job growth potential in the next ten years, which is predicted to be more than 40 percent," he added." It’s great that Hire Scene will be a part of this future, and continue growing and fostering relationships in the area."