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Mississippi Program Helps Unemployed Residents

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Mississippi currently ranks 50th in the nation in unemployment. That's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. One organization is working hard to help people find jobs.

Jobs for Jacksonians is a capitol city program, focused on helping individuals find job and career opportunities.

Johnathan Barnett is the job placement coordinator for the program. He said creating career workshops will help people advance in the workforce.

"We have weekly job readiness workshops," Barnett said. "What that instills is that we help individuals with resume writing, with interviewing skills also with leadership and professional development. We not only want them to obtain work but inevitably we want them to advance in their careers as well."

Barnett said many unemployed people in Mississippi just need a second chance.

"When an individual has a job opportunity or a career opportunity the ability that does for someone’s self-esteem to earn money," Barnett said. "What it does for a family or a community as a city as well we are pushing for that."

Six hundred Mississippians have obtained jobs within the last eight months because of the program. Barnett's goal is to raise that number to one thousand. Jobs for Jacksonians will hold a job recruiting session on Tuesday at the Jackson Metrocenter Mall.