BOSTON – The R.I. Department of Labor and Training is bringing back 11 previously laid-off employees to help staff the Unemployment Insurance Call Center.

According to a news release, these staff members will help manage the current claim load, which is greater than originally expected now that the Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program has been renewed for an additional year. The current weekly claim load for all Unemployment Insurance programs is 28,000 claims, 8,000 of which are related to the federal program.

In July 2012, 50 of the department’s 150 Unemployment Insurance staffers were laid off due to reduced availability of federal funding. However, through federal initiatives and grants, the department had been able to bring back 22 of those staffers last fall. •