Nationwide subsidized jobs program employs 250,000

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report on the TANF Emergency Fund’s subsidized job program today which provides a wage subsidy to employers hiring low-income workers.  North Carolina’s program employed more than 1,000 workers across the state.  As the authors conclude:

The subsidized jobs supported by the TANF Emergency Fund have helped families get work and income and have helped employers maintain and even expand in tight times. That, in turn, has given a needed boost to communities trying to recover from the recession. Moreover, families that are stable, housed, and employed are better able to support the community — economically and otherwise — and are less likely to require local social services.

The current economic recovery is far too fragile to end these programs now. Rather than walk away, Congress should extend the TANF Emergency Fund for one more year so that states can continue subsidized jobs placements in local communities.