Governor Calls for 1,150 unemployed to work for EDD

April 14, 2009

California – As unemployment rate soars to 11.2%, the governor opens 1,150 job opportunities in assisting around 2 million jobless employees by working for the Employment Development Department, reports said.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier declared a state of emergency with regards to the state’s unemployment which involved last year’s loss of 637,400 jobs.

The additional workers would be assigned in helping personnel borrowed from other departments and contracted call center operators in handling paperwork and taking in an average of 1.2 million calls a day from 60,000 to 80,000 people.

The department is now authorized to speed up the hiring process in order to accommodate the growing number of unemployed callers who would want to assess their benefits.

Aside from additional workers, there has also been an extension on phone lines and office hours in efforts to provide assistance to those who are in need of benefits and jobs.