Georgia Labor Commissioner Says Staff Has Faced Tremendous Challenges During Pandemic

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler talked about several topics, including processing unemployment claims, hiring additional staff and the agency’s progress with transitioning to a new software system.

David Goldman / Associated Press file

On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” the top leader of the Georgia Department of Labor applauded the response of the agency’s staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler told show host Rose Scott that the agency’s staff has had to face tremendous challenges to meet the needs of the ongoing workload that the global health crisis has prompted.

“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done,” Butler said. “Is it perfect? No. But I don’t think anyone should expect it to be perfect when you are talking about the constraints and also the pressure, considering the massive amount of workload that we’ve been dealing with.”

During the conversation, Butler talked about several topics, including processing unemployment claims, hiring additional staff and the agency’s progress with transitioning to a new software system.

He also shared details about which industries are currently hiring and his thoughts on how prepared the agency is moving into 2021.

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To listen to the full conversation, click the audio player above.