There is help for county residents whose jobs have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
Here’s how to receive assistance:
Even though the West Plains and Poplar Bluff Job Centers have suspended service to the public in their offices, Job Center staff are still there working behind their doors serving Missouri customers online and over the phone.
To contact the West Plains Job Center call 417-256-3158 or the Poplar Bluff Job Center call 573-840-9595.
For those employees who lost their job or have had hours reduced there are resources that are available to you. Job Center staff can help with filing an unemployment claim and assisting with other available resources.
Persons can also file an unemployment claim online by going to uinteract.labor.mo.gov. It takes an average of about 10 minutes, officials said.
To watch a tutorial on learning how to file unemployment claims online using UInteract, go to www.Jobs.MO.Gov and click on ‘Learn how to file online using UInteract’ under the Job Seekers tab.
Anyone needing other services such as job search assistance, resume and interview preparation or training to get back to work, the job center staff are there to help online or over the phone.
Officials said they also need to reach out to any employers, businesses or organizations that are needing to fill vacancies, whether they are part-time, full-time or temporary jobs. Persons can contact the local job center so those jobs can be posted online and possibly filled with the increasing number of individuals that are looking for work.
The South Central Workforce Investment Board and the local job centers work in partnership to provide employment services and training programs that help improve the quality of life in 20-county region, including Texas County.