Jobs For Connecticut Now

We were pleased to see the Patrick administration today that in the second quarter, Federal stimulus money has funded the equivalent of more than 10,000 full-time positions in Massachusetts, which is an increase of 57 percent over last quarter. The state said its number refers only to stimulus awards granted directly to state government agencies.

The state claims that a total of 27,044 individuals – part-time as well as full-time – received paychecks thanks to stimulus funds. Since the stimulus program began in February 2009, more than 41,830 individuals in Massachusetts have received at least one paycheck funded by the federal stimulus.

The economy is not yet where we’d like it to be, but these steps taken along the way can help the area’s unemployed have stability as they search for work, and will help push the economy one step closer to recovery.

It’s no secret that most people are getting hit hard by the recession, but we tend to forget about how it is affecting the nation’s youth and their ability to find employment. Although the economy cannot change overnight, we were pleased to see that the Patrick administration is making an effort to increase opportunities for employment for New England’s young folks.

The full article, which can be found here, states that the administration will provide $9.1 million to put about 4,700 at-risk youth to work. Joanne Goldstein, secretary of labor and workforce development, said $3.5 million will come from the new fiscal 2011 budget, $3.8 million from reserve funding in last year’s budget, and $1.8 million from federal stimulus money from previously years.

The money will go to 25 municipalities with the greatest number of youths who have gone through the juvenile justice system. Eligible individuals, state officials say, must be 14 to 21 years old and come from families whose household incomes fall below the poverty line, which is about $18,000 for a family of four.

Although about 1,400 of the total jobs are slated for Boston, other cities receiving funding include Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Gardner, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Quincy, Randolph, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Weymouth, and Worcester.

Lew Finfer, a leader of the Youth Jobs Coalition, (which has been pressing the state on the job issue) says the job market is stagnant, especially for teens.

“For teens, this not a recession” he said. It’s a depression in terms of their ability to get jobs.’’
With no help from the federal government this year, Patrick decided to begin using money that was allocated for summer jobs in the fiscal 2011 budget, which is making the area’s youth happy.

Daiquan Bradford, a 16-year-old from Roxbury who helped press for more funding, said he was pleased that the state listened to their appeals and found more cash for summer jobs.

“It’s a good thing, because we’ve been very persistent in our fight,’’ he said. “It is nice to know that we got some recognition for our hard work.”