Thursday, April 12, 2012

State labor department closing Fort Oglethorpe office; six others also on the way out

Media release: The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) will not renew the
lease for the office space that currently houses its Northwest Georgia
Career Center in Ft. Oglethorpe. As a result of this cost-saving decision,
its customers will be served from the nearby Dalton Career Center, starting
July 1. The 15 employees who work at the Ft. Oglethorpe location will also
be relocated to Dalton.

The Northwest Georgia Career Center is one of seven GDOL office closures
statewide. The offices were chosen to minimize the impact to GDOL customers
and employees. No GDOL employees will lose their jobs as a result of these
office closures, since they will be relocated to nearby offices where they
will serve to ease existing staff shortages.

Several criteria were used when making the decision for realignment,
including the proximity of the offices to other career centers, the number
of customers and staff affected, and the length and terms of the lease
agreements for each office.

GDOL will continue to operate 46 career centers statewide. Career centers
offer a wide range of services to both job seekers and employers. The
centers provide individuals seeking employment with the latest tools to find
and keep jobs. Employers will find assistance in recruiting new employees,
including access to a national job listing network, applicant screening, and
space in the centers to conduct testing and employment interviews.

The impact of this change will be lessened by the GDOL's increased online
presence. Many services, including unemployment insurance claims and
employer payments, already are available electronically. In the coming
weeks, full registration for employment services will be available online.

Other realignments include the following: Blairsville, Camilla, Elberton,
Kings Bay, Eastman, and Monroe.

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