Tennessee labor officials continue to attack unemployment by directly subsidizing jobs in hard hit counties. Wednesday Governor Phil Bredesen announced a $3 million employment program in Marshall County – which has the highest unemployment rate in the state.
More than 19% of residents in Marshall County are out of work. Paige Liggett with the South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance says many had jobs with a pencil company in Lewisburg that shut down.
“Sanford closed recently and that put a few hundred people out of work. And of course with GM downsizing up in Spring Hill, that affected a lot of Marshall County residents as well.”
Marshall County was one of the top three places General Motors workers called home. More than 2,000 were laid off last November when the Spring Hill plant was idled.
The state plans to use $3 million and put 175 people back to work. Most will be through private employers. About 50 will work directly for the state in highway maintenance jobs.
Liggett says the $3 million program will last six months.
“There is no commitment as far as saying we plan on keeping this person after the program ends. Now, of course, that is our greatest hope.”
The new jobs program is modeled after one in Perry County southwest of Nashville, where 400 jobs have now been paid for with stimulus money. The state has also started directly funding jobs in West Tennessee’s Lauderdale County and Hancock County in Upper East Tennessee.
Residents in Marshall County have to meet low income guidelines to qualify for a stimulus job. A new stipulation requires applicants have a child living at home.
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