It’s a small victory, but the Atlantic City Mayor’s Job Placement Office, which opened last month, has found jobs for 70 unemployed city residents.
“We were able to place 70 people in new employment, and it was done in a short period of time after just opening the doors last month. That’s now 70 people who are not worried about working,” said Atlantic City Mayor Donald Guardian.
Atlantic County and Atlantic City’s unemployment rate is 11.8 percent, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 900 city casino workers—though not all city residents—lost their jobs when four casinos closed in the resort last year.
About half of the new jobs were found in at casinos in the city, officials said. The jobs include dealers, cooks and back-of-the-house employment.
“And there will be more jobs coming,” Guardian said. “We have another business coming just in time, at the end of the summer in September, to the city where about 300 jobs will be available for placement.”
Guardian did not reveal the new business coming to the city.
In another city matter, Guardian recently presided over a ceremony to mark the completion of a $6.3 million repaving of Pacific Avenue.
The street, which runs parallel to the Boardwalk, is the city’s main tourist strip and has long been deteriorating and marked by potholes. Though the project took longer than expected, the completion does come at a good time for the city as the busy summer season is starting, Guardian said.
