Job searches up in states ending participation in expanded federal unemployment benefits program

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:38 AM PT – Saturday, May 29, 2021

Job searches have jumped in GOP-led states that opted out of Joe Biden’s expanded unemployment benefits program. According to reports on Friday, job searches recently rose by five percent after at least 24 states announced their intent to withdraw from the federal supplemental unemployment program.

The program provides about $300 in extra unemployment assistance, meaning unemployed individuals in certain states are receiving roughly $687 per week. This averages to about $17 an hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage.

A job seeker looks at a job listing board (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Chief economist for the employment website Indeed, Jed Kolko, said that job search activity rose in states that cut off the extra unemployment benefits, suggesting it may be a sign that the halting of the program could be the end of the labor shortage seen in the U.S. Among the industries, tourism, hospitality, sales and marketing saw the greatest increases.

GOP lawmakers have long contended that Biden’s expanded unemployment benefit program is hampering job creation and hurting businesses who are seeking to hire.

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