BETHESDA, Md. — There is at least one place that's hiring right now, and it's an office that really needs some help. Ironically, it's an unemployment office.
Maryland's Department of Labor announced on Twitter that it's hiring more than 100 people for its Unemployment Claim Centers. The tweet launched a flood of criticism:
"Does this mean your phones won't be off the hook?"
"I still don't have my benefits, and I've been out of work for 30 days."
"I try every day from morning until the evening and only get a busy signal."
Across the country, unemployment offices are drowning, as 16.8 million workers have lost their jobs in three weeks; that's about 11% of the entire U.S. workforce.
"I'm truly just bummed out," Holli Behrman, a single mom of 9-year-olds boys in Gaithersburg, said. "I loved my job. I loved what I did."
Behrman and half the talent recruitment team at a large consulting firm will be out of work come Friday. But what if she can't get through to the unemployment office?
"That will be very stressful," she said. "Very, very stressful."
The Maryland Unemployment Division jobs pay $17.36 cents an hour.
"No, don't think I could" survive on that, Behrman said. "Don't think many people could."
Jobs with the Maryland Unemployment Division require either a bachelor's degree or experience handling unemployment claims.
The unemployment office said it's seeing an unprecedented surge in applications.
Maryland's entire Congressional delegation, Republicans and Democrats, wrote the state labor secretary Tuesday to offer their help in getting critically needed unemployment benefits rolling to residents.