Oregon Governor Announces Emergency Jobs Program

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has announced an Emergency Jobs Program to create 12,000 entry-level temporary jobs paying between $8.40 and $10 per hour.

Local governments, community colleges and workforce development agencies would oversee hiring.

The state has a $4.2 billion budget deficit, and unemployment at 12.1%, the nation’s second worst.

More than 81,000 unemployed Oregonians are seeking entry-level jobs, but fewer than 1,000 such positions are currently available.

The Oregon Food Bank will sponsor as many as 1,000 of the program’s jobs, and the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps and the Oregon forestry and agriculture departments will oversee another 500 of the positions.