As the partial government shutdown continues into its third week, federal workers in Florida are applying for unemployment to make up for lost pay.
Since the partial government shutdown began last month, more than 940 federal workers in Florida have applied for re-employment assistance through the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity. The claims make up around 6 percent of the state's overall applications since the shutdown.
The DEO says it’s committed to assisting those affected by the shutdown, and the state’s CareerSource centers are available to help people apply for benefits.
"For those affected, our career services team members can provide contact information to get the most accurate answers to their questions about the furlough’s effect on their reemployment benefits," said a CareerSource Brevard Spokesperson. If applicants need assistance with the online application, CareerSource staff can help at one of their facilities at no charge.
NASA is one of the region’s biggest federal employers. Around 1,800 of the Kennedy Space Center’s 2,000 civil servants are not working and hundreds of other contractors are affected.
The Orlando International Airport collected donations for workers with the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Aviation Administration. They’ve been working without pay since the shutdown.
CareerSource also offers programs at no cost to job seekers to help find jobs or higher-paying jobs, as well as education, training and career assistant programs.
