Missouri wants to continue outsourcing its unemployment call center
Officials from Missouri, United States want to continue outsourcing its call center that handles jobless benefits even though the unemployment rate in the state has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
According to a report from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is urging private companies to bid on a contract to run a call center that would help process unemployment claims and employ up to 150 individuals.
In April 2020, Missouri’s unemployment rate reached 12.5% amid the pandemic. Currently, it is now down to 3.7%, equal to its pre-pandemic levels.
Labor Department spokeswoman Maura Browning explained that the agency still needs assistance from an outsourcing company as they continue to deal with a large number of unemployment benefits appeals.
California-based company Protiviti previously handled these duties and was paid $18 million. The outsourcing firm hired about 300 people to handle unemployment inquiries.
