As COVID winds down state officials are being faced with a new problem – businesses are having a hard time filling open positions. The pandemic led to many Americans losing their jobs and going on unemployment, aided by additional federal unemployment benefits that amounted to some $300 extra per week.
The economy has reopened, but many Georgians still aren’t going back to work. The Georgia Chamber and allies have taken notice, penning an op-ed urging state lawmakers to take steps to help usher unemployed residentsback into the workforce.
The first step? Ending the aforementioned $300 federal supplement, a step that some states have already taken. Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, and South Carolina have already announced that they will stop accepting the extra money in June, with their Republican governors saying it has led many to not bother seeking a new job. Montana, in fact, will offer $1,200 return-to-work bonuses, something that Georgia officials are unlikely to replicate.
On Monday Gov. Brian Kemp and Labor Commissioner Mark Butler met to discuss what “changes are needed in order to support employers who continue to see worker shortages.” Butler is allowed by state law to end the benefits.
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk also recently announced that he will introduce legislation in Washington that would permanently end the COVID supplement cash.
According to numbers from the chamber, there are more than 231,000 Georgians still on unemployment, but in the past 90 days the state has reported more than 400,000 new job openings. Certain industries, like construction and home improvement, are facing massive material and labor shortages. Others, like hospitality and food service, are looking ahead at what promises to be an incredibly busy summer with not enough workers to scale up to full operations.
The trick, the chamber says, is figuring out how best to connect employers to potential employees, saying that “our conditions are unprecedented and require creative solutions.”
Additional short-term suggestions from the chamber:
- Require Georgians on unemployment to prove they are actively seeking employment to continue to receive benefits
- Redirect federal funds to technical colleges and universities to provide re-training and certification courses that would upskill the labor force for in-demand jobs
- Eliminate the outdated Federal Self Certification Declaration checklist for unemployment
insurance and return to a robust qualification process
There were also long-term suggestions:
- Build on the state’s need-based scholarship system
- Work on federal visa programs to ensure that farmers have access to the workforce they need
- Continue to examine the state’s curriculum to include modern skills
Georgia would be allowed, per federal law, to opt out of the increased benefits as early as June 12th.
