Help is available

While Indiana is opening back up, Eastern Indiana Works is hoping to get more area Hoosiers back to work.

With a goal to combat the growing number of unemployed Hoosiers, Eastern Indiana Works is rolling out a new program to make the hiring process easier for the employee and employer.

The new Work Experience Program will pay for up to four weeks for the training of any new hire, Eastern Indiana Works’ Caitlin Zink said. That will allow an employer to make a hire without having to pay for training, a drug test or a background check.

Employers that utilize the new program could be eligible for a tax credit as well, Zink said.

With retail stores, restaurants and other businesses scheduled to open within the next month, job opportunities in Indiana will increase.

Employment opportunities come at a crucial time for Indiana as 612,000 Hoosiers filed for unemployment benefits in the last seven weeks, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to data compiled by Indiana University and posted at Hoosiers by the Numbers, 1,561 Jay County residents filed for unemployment in March and April. According to that same report, 904 filed for unemployment in Blackford County and 2,633 filed in Adams County in March and April.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the state agency helped nearly 100 Hoosiers find a new job, Eastern Indiana Works’ Kathryn Drumm said. She added her office has received over 20,000 phone calls and inquiries since March 8.

In regard to work currently underway, board member Jerry Leonhard noted that the installation of a new gas line on North Street near Garfield Avenue is causing problems. Most recently, a portion of a sidewalk was taken out during construction by Miller Pipeline, which is being contracted by Ohio Valley Gas Corporation. The board agreed that Ohio Valley Gas has done a good job in the past of cleaning up after doing jobs and it is expected that the same will be done after the work is complete.

In other business, Boggs and fellow board members Steve McIntosh and Leonhard signed off on an agreement with Rob Moser to connect a yet-to-be-built house near his 2108 S. Boundary Pike home to the city’s sewer system.