Tag Archive for madison county unemployment

Madison County’s Unemployment Woes Continue

July 28, 2011 Around Madison, Front Page Comments Off

Madison County looks to processing plant to halt unemployment slide

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

When the Agency on Workforce Innovation released its unemployment figures for June, they peppered their press release with some positive news.

The positive news was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizing Florida as the top station in the nation for workforce training programs. They garnered the top spot after being ranked number two in 2010.

Overall, the state’s unemployment rate was 10.6 percent with 982,000 people jobless, out of a work force of 9,234,000. The rate remained unchanged since May but was eight-tenths of a point lower than June 2010.

While Madison County did not have the highest unemployment rate in the state, it was the county with the highest unemployment rate in the Suwannee River Valley.

Madison County ranked eighth in the state with 12.2 percent unemployment.

The county hopes to get a small respite soon, when Ferris-Stahl-Meyer begins accepting applications for its meat processing plant towards the middle or end of August. The plant hopes to be in full production by late October. Plans are for the plant to hire 70 people at the start and then gradually hire more.

The processing plant will occupy the old Dixie Packers and Smithfield plant in the industrial park.

Sherilyn Lightcap, administrative assistant to County Coordinator Allen Cherry, said that it appears that Ferris-Stahl-Meyer is committed to hiring people locally.

Hamilton County, Madison County’s neighbor to the northeast, was right on Madison’s heels with 12.1 percent unemployment. Dixie County ranked number 12 with 12.0 percent unemployment. Taylor County was 33rd in the state with 10.5 percent unemployment. Suwannee County was 41st with a 9.9 percent jobless rate. Jefferson County ranked 53rd with a 8.5 percent jobless rate. Lafayette County ranked 63rd with 7.4 percent unemployment.

The top three counties with the highest unemployment rates were Hendry (16.2 percent), Flagler (14.6 percent) and Miami-Dade (13.9 percent).

 

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Additional Unemployment Compensation Reforms to Take Effect August 1

July 27, 2011 Front Page Comments Off

TALLAHASSEE – Beginning Monday, August 1, 2011, several changes to Florida’s Unemployment Compensation program that were signed into law last month will take effect. These reforms will save the state money, reduce taxes on employers and help get Floridians back to work.

Changes taking effect August 1 include:

· Internet Filing and Certification of Weeks – Initial and continued claims must be filed over the Internet. The change will improve government efficiency and provide a projected $4.7 million savings annually in administrative costs. AWI’s unemployment compensation hotline will be available to answer questions about the filing process.

· Work Search – Claimants are required to contact at least five potential employers per week and provide this information over the Internet during their bi-weekly certification for benefits. A quick, efficient way to contact employers is by using the Employ Florida Marketplace at employflorida.com, the state’s online job matching system where you can search thousands of job postings and apply for jobs.

If a claimant is not able to make at least five employer contacts in a week, meeting with a representative at a local One-Stop Career Center for reemployment services will satisfy this requirement for that week.

· Skills Review – In order to receive benefits, claimants filing new claims must complete an initial skills review over the Internet. The results of the review will be used by local One-Stop Career Centers to assist claimants with job searches.

· Severance Pay – If a claimant’s severance pay per week is equal to or greater than the claimant’s weekly benefit amount, the claimant is not entitled to benefits for that week. Severance pay does not impact the total amount of benefits that can be paid on the claim.

For more information, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

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