Need Job Help In Georgia?

Reprint from http://www.11alive.com

ATLANTA – If you're looking for a job or even if you just want to learn some new job skills, millions of Federal stimulus dollars now arriving in Georgia might help you.

"Many of the jobs that have been lost will not come back, even when the economy strengthens again," says State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.

That's why he's glad his department now has millions of federal stimulus dollars to help thousands of Georgians either find work or find new job skills.

Starting Monday, extra checks for an additional $25 a week began going out to about 180,000 Georgians receiving unemployment benefits.

The new law also means the IRS will suspend taxes on the first $2,400 of those benefits.

But even if you aren't unemployed, the stimulus plan might help you learn another job.

That's because Georgia is also getting nearly $100-million in stimulus funds to help with programs at its 53 statewide Career Centers.

The money will go for career counseling, skill assessment, job search assistance as well as training for new careers.

"Thousands of Georgians will be able to be served who up until now could not qualify because we just didn't have the money to do it," Thurmond says.

Even so, he warns the extra job help is no silver bullet and tough times are still ahead.

"This is a difficult job market," says Thurmond, "We will get through it, will emerge from it, but it's going to be long and hard and difficult, but at the end of the day we will be successful."

To find out how you might get help from one of Georgia's One-Stop Career Centers, you can find them by going to www.servicelocator.org or call 877-348-0502.