As part of the federal Job Creation Act that President Barack Obama signed into law in February, South Florida has begun hiring temporary workers and setting up employment centers to advise long-term unemployed residents, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
At least 30,000 Broward County residents and 19,000 Palm Beach County residents on federal emergency unemployment benefits are required to report to an employment center for training and job counseling. If they refuse to show, they risk losing their unemployment checks.
"The difference is they must come in. Before, it was not mandatory," Mason Jackson, president of Broward's center, Workforce One, told the news source.
Employment centers have taken on "dozens" of workers to advise the long-term unemployed about how to update resumes or regain skills that have either become rusty or don't meet employer requirements. The federal government has given both counties more than $800,000 to train center workers.
Mandatory attendance is required for those who began receiving first tier emergency unemployment compensation after March 23. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor's website, first tier individuals have exhausted their 26 weeks of benefits and have filed for an additional 20 weeks of extended benefits.