Nikki Porcher outlines plans to improve outreach, job access as Georgia labor commissioner candidate

GEORGIA (WALB) — Georgia labor commissioner candidate Nikki Porcher says the office must do more to connect working people with employment resources and programs already available to them.

Porcher, who has been campaigning since September, said many Georgians do not know the labor commissioner is elected or understand what the office does.

“One of the first things I want to do is let people understand that this is an office that is supposed to be accountable to the working people of Georgia,” Porcher said.

While campaigning, Porcher said residents have frequently mentioned programs and resources they wish were available—only to learn that many of those services already exist.

“The disappointment, but also the excitement, is that these things that you’re seeking do exist,” Porcher said. “However, there is no one telling you about this information. There’s no one out there advocating to ensure that you have these resources and these tools to be successful.”

Porcher said improving public outreach would be a priority, including educating Georgians about what the Georgia Department of Labor can provide.

She also addressed how to expand access to good-paying jobs in rural communities, including Albany and Southwest Georgia.

Porcher said the goal would not necessarily be to create new programs, but to ensure existing programs reach the communities they are intended to serve.

“When we’re talking to rural Georgians, I’m not coming into the Department of Labor to change or to create new programs,” Porcher said. “I’m coming in to make sure that the programs that are supposed to be working for Georgia, for our rural Georgians, are actually reaching our rural Georgians.”

Porcher said that effort would begin by identifying organizations already working in rural communities, meeting with their leaders and traveling directly to those areas.

“I’m not scared to leave my office, but to go outside into the field to reach those Georgians,” Porcher said. “That’s what I’ve been doing this campaign, and that’s what I’m going to be doing once I’m in office.”

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