Clinton Orders Government to Hire Welfare Recipients

President Clinton, having exhorted employers across the nation to hire welfare recipients, announced Saturday that America’s largest employer, the federal government, will lead the way.

Clinton issued a directive to the heads of all federal agencies and departments, telling them “to use all available hiring authorities . . . to hire people off the welfare rolls into available jobs in government.”

The officials were given 30 days to report back on how many entry-level jobs are open and can be filled quickly by people with minimal skills.

The White House said it does not have a target for the number of government jobs to be filled by welfare recipients. Clinton said only that he will convene a special Cabinet meeting within a month to gather information from the departments.

Vice President Al Gore will oversee the effort, he said.

White House aides say the government will pay about $6 per hour for trainees in jobs such as messengers, mail clerks, security guards or supply clerks. The vast majority of these jobs are at federal installations outside the Washington area, they said.

After three years of work, these trainees will be eligible to become permanent civil service workers, they said.

The welfare reform bill signed by Clinton last year requires most able-bodied recipients to find jobs or enter approved training programs within two years.

“This cause [moving people from welfare to work] must engage the energy and commitment of everyone in our society--of business, houses of worship, labor unions, universities and civic organizations,” the president said in his weekly radio address. “The national government must do its part and set an example.”

Clinton acknowledged that long-term welfare recipients “will be harder to reach and will need more help” than the 2.6 million people who have left welfare rolls since 1993.

“We must help them as they help themselves,” he said. “Government can help to move people from welfare to work by acting the way we want all employers to act: demanding high performance from workers, but going the extra mile to offer opportunity.” The extra help could include low-cost child care or help with finding transportation.

Administration aides denied they are planning to establish a new hiring “preference” for welfare recipients.

“This is not like a veterans’ preference,” said a White House spokesperson. “This is an existing hiring authority that is not used much, and some rank-and-file managers don’t even know it exists. This will allow them to cut through the red tape and hire new people quickly and easily.”

The federal government has about 1.9 million civilian employees. Last year, 58,000 new employees were hired into permanent jobs.

Of those, a small percentage, perhaps 1 in 10, fill low-skill entry-level positions, officials said.

Typically, such positions are filled only after an agency supervisor has advertised the opening, allowed the personnel office to screen applications and interviewed the top candidates. It is a slow and cumbersome process for both employer and job seeker.

“There is a mind-set that the whole process of applying for a federal job is so complicated that they say, ‘I won’t bother,’ ” said Melissa Skolfield, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department.

Clinton is suggesting that federal agencies hire welfare recipients under an existing Worker-Trainee Program, which simplifies the process for both supervisors and job seekers. “We want to make managers aware of this program,” Skolfield said. “It allows them to hire someone right away.”

Although administration officials said the plan would not create a new hiring preference, it still prompted questions about whether they would have an advantage over all other applicants for entry-level jobs.

“It’s tricky,” said Gary Burtless, a welfare expert at the Brookings Institution.

“On the one hand, welfare recipients do have a clear shot at doing a fine job in these positions. The problem is we also are a society that prizes equity and fairness. Probably most people feel that if you have five applicants, the fairest way to pick them is to pick the one who is the best. You don’t want to go to the back of the line, pick that person and put them at the front of the line.”

Another official, who asked not to be named, said the administration will likely face a backlash from labor unions, especially those representing federal employees.

“I do think the unions will have some concerns. But I don’t believe the federal government is going to hire enough welfare recipients to make a difference,” the official said.

* WORKFARE FEARS: Critics worry about lower wages, displaced workers. B1