WESTMINSTER, Colo — While unemployment rates continue to surge for everyone, Latinos make up the largest portion of people who are unemployed right now according to the latest Labor Force Statistics.
Diego Montemayor, of Westminster, saw a need for an app to connect people with jobs. So in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he created one. Montemayor is the founder and CEO of Chamba, Spanish slang for job.
"You promo your skills, what you do, you add your picture, then you can rate other users, add a description about you," Montemayor said about the new app.
The app connects workers with employers as well as people offering work, like landscaping or painting, to people looking for those services. It's easy to use and completely free, Montemayor said. Right now, the app is only available in Spanish but the creators are working to translate it to English.
"With the pandemic, we saw our people struggling, suffering, losing their jobs and so we said 'hey we need to step in and create something that is going to allow our community to find job,'" Montemayor said. "That's how Chamba came to be."
Montemayor knows Latinos are very tech-savvy and hardworking people. He also knows a lot of Latinx families didn't receive any stimulus checks, even though some are U.S. citizens, because of their loved one's immigration status.
"Imagine losing your job plus not getting a stimulus check either," he said, "That's going to be pretty hard, so we decided to do this for our community."
Chamba launched nationwide in April and now has more than 8,000 users.
There are sub-sections to help people search for jobs or services in cleaning, construction, tutoring and restaurants.
"You name it, we have it all," Montemayor said.
>> Chamba can be found in the Apple and Google Play app store.
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