Stimulus money hires 15,000 Georgia teens, but 35,000 remain out of luck

AJC:

Nationwide, 26.4 percent of young men and women between 16 and 19 were jobless last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year earlier, 23.2 percent were. Not since the Bureau began compiling statistics on teenagers in 1948 has the unemployment level risen so high.

No other age group comes close to matching the jobless predicament of teenagers.

“In these hard economic times, young people are not just buying tennis shoes and TVs. They’re actually helping their parents and relatives pay the rent and keep the lights on,” said Linda Johnson, an assistant commissioner with the Georgia Department of Labor. “These jobs are essential because we’re talking about developing a workforce not just for tomorrow, but for today too.”

Georgia received $48.8 million from Washington, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. President Obama and Congress intend for the money to create jobs and stimulate the economy -- in an open, easy-to-understand fashion.

Georgia’s Labor department received nearly $34 million to hire 10,000 Georgians this summer. DHS got about $15 million for 5,000 kids. Only 10 percent of the money may be used for administrative costs.

Kids aged 14-18 will be able to work through August 13. They’ll be paid $8.50 an hour, $1.25 above minimum wage. Local governments and state agencies, as well as churches, schools, nonprofits and companies like Target, the Sports Authority and Pizza Hut will be fully reimbursed for hiring teens.

The TeenWork job criteria are few: those hired must come from households earning less than $66,000 for a family of four. Kids were selected based on job availability in the state’s 20 workforce development regions. Those who filled out the on-line employment forms first were to be selected first.

Jasmonae Rountree, 17, works in the principal’s office at Campbell High School in Cobb County. She lives with her mother in an apartment in Smyrna and vows to open a bank account for next year’s prom and college.

“I’ll help my Mom too with bills, like the phone bill, or buy food whenever she needs help,” Jasmonae said. “This will also prepare me to handle my own bills and taxes too. I’ll be ready to go out into the real world.”  

Posted via email from Jim Nichols for Senate Blog