(WSB Radio)  The State of Georgia is adding nearly 100 employees to its jobless rolls as its contracts out its Information Technology operations.

Gov. Perdue announced AT&T and IBM were the sole bidders on two separate contracts worth $346 million and $873 million respectively.

"Providing technology services is not a core competency of state government... we've tried and its not one of the things that we do best," he says.

He cites crashing servers as well as leaky roofs and rodents in the office building that houses the state's primary data system.

"I was frightened because I could not guarantee Georgia citizens that their data was secure or that we were spending our I.T. dollars in the best way possible," says Perdue.

He says unfortunately 92 employees of the state's Technology Authority are affected and at the most inopportune time.

"We certainly didn't plan on this kind of timing and in fact I'd love for unemployment to be under four percent as it has been sometimes in the past," he says.

Unemployment for the state reached seven percent for the month of October, the highest in more than 16 years.

Some of the employees have received jobs with AT&T and others will be helped through a career services center and upcoming job fair.

They will be employed until the new operations begin May 1st.