Agencies reach 10,000 welfare-to-work hiring goal

Federal agencies have reached President Clinton's goal of hiring more than 10,000 people off of the welfare rolls by the year 2000, according to statistics released by the Office of Personnel Management.

In April 1997, President Clinton pledged that the government would hire 10,000 former welfare recipients. Agencies responded by committing to a total of 10,638 welfare hires by the year 2000. As of the end of January, they had hired 10,187 people off the welfare rolls, 96 percent of the year 2000 goal.

The Commerce Department has hired 3,194 former welfare recipients, the most of any agency, and has a commitment to hire almost another 1,000 by the year 2000.

But the Treasury Department has exceeded its goal by the largest percentage of any agency, hiring 997 workers, 246 percent of its year 2000 commitment. Meanwhile, the State Department continues to struggle to meet its target of hiring 220 former welfare recipients, having met only 25 percent of that goal so far.

Here are the welfare hiring statistics by agency:

Welfare to Work: Federal Government
Commitments and Hires through Jan. 22, 1999