D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s effort to promote job creation by using the District government as an intermediary between prospective employers and workers has created 3,000 jobs, the mayor said Wednesday.
“When I took office, I promised to do all that I could to get District residents back to work, and connecting more than 3,000 previously unemployed people with jobs is an important step toward that goal,” said Gray, who hopes his One City One Hire program generates 10,000 jobs.
The mayor’s office said that about 40 percent of those hired are residents of Wards 5, 7 and 8, sections in the city’s eastern half with particularly high unemployment rates.
The city’s unemployment rate has long been one of the nation’s highest, and new figures are set for release on Friday. Ahead of the updated statistics, Gray said he would continue to press for more hiring.
“We know that 9.8 percent is still too high,” Gray said. “We’re going to continue working to bring that down.”
Barbara Lang, the president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, praised Gray’s program and said local business owners are committed to hiring as the District’s economy continues to reboot.
“We are always focused on District residents being employed because that makes a vibrant economy,” Lang said.
