Welfare-to-work hiring speeds up

The federal government has hired nearly 7,087 welfare recipients and is 67 percent of the way toward meeting President Clinton's goal of hiring 10,000 people off the welfare rolls by the year 2000, according to statistics released by the Office of Personnel Management.

By April, federal agencies had hired only 3,600 welfare recipients since Clinton announced the initiative in April 1997. As of Sept. 22, 1997, agencies had hired 1,901 former welfare recipients.

Statistics indicate that some agencies are recruiting more aggressively than others. The Treasury Department leads the pack, having recruited 941 welfare recipients, which is 536 more people than it was expected to hire. The Veteran's Affairs Department has met 130 percent of its goal by hiring 1,036 former welfare recipients. The Office of Personnel Management also made a strong showing, meeting 208 percent of its goal by hiring 27 extra workers.

Still, other agencies have alot of catching up to do. The State Department is struggling to meet its goal of hiring 220 former welfare recipients. The Justice Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency also have a way to go, having met 46 percent of their commitment. The Commerce Department, which has only met 31 percent of its total commitment of 4,180, will increase its efforts as part of the 2000 census.

Here's how it breaks down by agency:

Welfare to Work: Federal Government
Commitments and Hires through Sept. 22, 1998