The Senate moves to extend unemployment benefits, will it help local workers?

The Georgia Department of Labor says 66,614 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits in September, an increase of 17.6 percent from September of 2008. The number of claims decreased slight by 3,255 from August when 69,869 claims were filed. 

However, the average length of time jobless Georgia workers drew benefits increased from about 12 weeks in September of 2008 to 14 weeks in September of 2009. 

At the DOL Savannah Career Center, the manager Larry Yaughn says “It is longer and the people I think are a little big more discouraged.  But we’re very happy to hear about the Mitsubishi plant that’s coming that should come up to about 500 jobs hopefully in the near future.  And the stock market’s up, so we’re getting some good news, but it is longer and that is stressful for people.“

We found Randy Carter filling out paperwork for unemployment benefits.  He was laid off recently. “Considering the way America is right now I’m not really surprised to see so many people in here,“ he told me.  “I wish there weren’t so many people in here, but there are.“

In Georgia, the number of people out of work and receiving beneifts has risen 58 percent over the past year

“While the pace of new layoffs continued to moderate in September, the average length of time that jobless Georgians are receiving unemployment insurance benefits is now longer than it’s been since March 1976,” says State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. “This is a strong reminder that we must increase our efforts to help unemployed Georgians find new jobs or careers. I believe that federal, state, and local governments must invest greater public sector resources in order to stimulate job creation by small businesses.”

Thurmond encouraged employers and job seekers to take advantage of the opportunities available through expanded use of the Georgia Work$ initiative.

Late Thursday, democrats in the U.S. Senate moved to help those whose benefits may be running out and who still can’t find work. They reach a deal to extend unemployment benefits to workers in danger of seeing their benefits dry up in the coming weeks.  The agreement would give an additional 14 weeks of unemployment to jobless workers in all 50 states.  And for workers with states that have an unemployment rate of 8.5 or over (including Georgia and South Carolina) would receive an additional six weeks of benefits.