State Labor staffers to work longer hours

In yet another sign of a troubled economy, state Labor Department staffers have been asked to work 10-hour days, and unemployment offices will stay open longer to meet the demands of Georgia’s jobless.

Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond plans to announce the changes today.

The Labor Department’s 53 Career Center offices will open at 7:30 a.m., a half-hour earlier, and stay open until 5 p.m., a half-hour later than normal, Thurmond said.

In addition, staffers will work four, 10-hour day shifts a week to staff the offices and process the claims.

Thurmond said he made the decision to put workers on longer shifts because state budget cuts are keeping him from hiring more employees to deal with the increased workload.

Thurmond said in August, the last month for which statistics are available, there was a 72 percent increase in the number of claims filed over August 2007. The state’s 6.3 percent unemployment rate in August was Georgia’s highest in 15 years. Thurmond said he doesn’t expect it to improve soon.

The commissioner has been visiting filing centers across the state, and he said, “We’re maxed out. Savannah, Atlanta, everywhere. We’re packed.”