The  Federal Labor Department will provide  somewhere in the region of $27 million  to finance the cleanup and rebuilding efforts in  the New York City locations hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy. The money will be used to hire over 5000 New York City area residents for temporary government jobs associated with the cleanup and recovery process. These jobs are expected to last for about six months and will pay as much as $15 per hour. Although the jobs are temporary, it's welcomed news for the thousands who remain out of work indefinitely since the passage of the storm. To put it in the words of Governor Cu0mo, these new positions are "a chance to provide young and unemployed New Yorkers with job opportunities cleaning up their communities."

Plans are also in the works that will create an additional 700 temporary FEMA  jobs with positions ranging from administrative assistants to community relations workers. 

Anyone interested can apply at a FEMA disaster recovery center, call the state Labor Department at 888-469-7365 or visit the Department of Labor's "Sandy Jobs" section.

National Emergency Grant (NEG) Facts for Disaster Impacted Areas

Who is eligible to be hired as a NEG worker?
One-stop Career Centers will assist with recruitment
and identification of eligible NEG workers. There is
no residency requirement for NEG workers. Eligibility
requirements are:

• Individuals who temporarily or permanently lost
their employment as a result of hurricane sandy (Give priority to this group of individuals.)

• Eligible dislocated workers, as defined under the
Workforce investment Act, who are unemployed

• Long-term unemployed individuals (defined as
jobless for 27 weeks or more)

What is the maximum duration of
employment for NEG workers?

Employment of a NEG worker cannot exceed 6 months
(or 1,040 hours). Once that duration is reached, a new
NEG worker can be brought on to complete work on
the project.

What are wage requirements for NEG
workers?

Total wages paid to a NEG worker cannot exceed
$12,000, excluding the cost of fringe benefits. Wages
must be paid at the higher of the Federal, state or
local minimum wage, or the comparable rates of pay
for individuals employed in similar occupations by the
same employer.

The employer of record is also required to provide
NEG workers the same benefit package provided to
workers hired in comparable job titles. if the employer
has different policies for temporary employees than
for full-time employees, these policies may apply
to NEG workers since the jobs under this grant are
classified as temporary.

Click Here for the complete Facts list.