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DLT to hire 31 staff at call center
Agency to use federal funding to pay for new jobs
Updated: Thursday, 25 Feb 2010, 6:02 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 25 Feb 2010, 1:47 PM EST
CRANSTON, R.I (WPRI) - The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) will soon hire 31 additional people to staff their Cranston office.
Officials with the DLT confirm for Eyewitness News that the agency will use federal funds to pay for the new hires. They will staff the call center to help deal with chronic backlogs and delays amid Rhode Island's high unemployment rate.
The announcement about the new positions came Wednesday at the State House, as the DLT's director, Susan Powell was grilled by legislators about the persistent problems had by out of work Rhode Islanders looking for assistance in obtaining unemployment benefits.
If the agency can secure the funding, the new hires could be in place within 8 to 10 weeks.
Rhode Island's unemployment rate stands at 12.9%. It is the third highest in the United States behind Michigan and Nevada .
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