Where are the workers? Cutoff of jobless aid spurs no influx

[TexasTowelie]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Earlier this year, an insistent cry arose from business leaders and Republican governors: Cut off a $300-a-week federal supplement for unemployed Americans. Many people, they argued, would then come off the sidelines and take the millions of jobs that employers were desperate to fill.

Yet three months after half the states began ending that federal payment, there's been no significant influx of job seekers.

In states that cut off the $300 check, the workforce — the number of people who either have a job or are looking for one — has risen no more than it has in the states that maintained the payment. That federal aid, along with two jobless aid programs that served gig workers and the long-term unemployed, ended nationally Sept. 6. Yet America's overall workforce actually shrank that month.

“Policymakers were pinning too many hopes on ending unemployment insurance as a labor market boost,” said Fiona Greig, managing director of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, who has studied the issue.

Read more: https://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/news/where-are-the-workers-cutoff-of-jobless-aid-spurs-no-influx/article_23414cd0-b1dd-52b4-acea-b5e0f60af6fb.html

[Brainfodder]

1. No increase in min. wage since 2009?

[slightlv]

2. How about

How about the 700,000+ people who have died of Covid? Think that might have taken a huge chunk of workers out of the workforce? If *Rump had mobilized the country to fight the pandemic instead of ignoring it, we might not be here now. But, well, you now... image before country and all that...

[TexasTowelie]

3. I doubt that the number of COVID deaths has effected the labor market significantly.

A decent percentage of the 700,000 were retired (recall that the initial waves hit the elderly the hardest). As for the segment of the population that is of "working age", note that almost 3 out of 8 did not participate in the workforce. A rough estimate is about 250,000 - 300,000 people who were in the pre-pandemic workforce of 165 million have died (~0.2%).

[Sherman A1]

18. That is part of the answer

And there are many others. Folks near retirement age in service jobs possibly retired ( I know some that did in healthcare), some took other employment (such as workers from closed restaurants moving into delivery jobs), some stared their own businesses (saw a post yesterday here with the stats indicating that about 25% or so did) some took up gig work, some are staying home due to child care or health concerns. My guess is that taking 900 people, you would get 1800 reasons.

[SheltieLover]

4. I keep wondering

Whether 2 income families have reevaluated their priorities?

[Demobrat]

6. I think that's a lot of it.

They discovered that the benefits of having a parent at home far outweigh those of a crappy job that barely pays enough to buy gas to get to work and back.

Working is expensive. People were put in a position to see that for themselves and figured out it’s not worth it.

[SheltieLover]

8. It sure is expensive!

And, really, how much "stuff" do people actually need?

[Demobrat]

10. Heck, if it means they can go from two cars to one

they’ll save way more money than a minimum wage job pays.

And then there are the non-monetary benefits to having someone at home full time for the kids. And to just take care of stuff.

People who have had a taste of that life are not jumping to go back to working for crap wages while strangers raise their kids. Go figure.

[SheltieLover]

11. Good for them!

I'm hoping that is a largd part of it.

[Demobrat]

13. Me too!

Better for the families and better for the remaining workers.

[SheltieLover]

14. For sure!

[monkeyman1]

5. they all moved to a different country , better working conditions & benefits !

[Mr.Bill]

7. I wonder how many may be having long-term symptoms from Covid.

They may have survived the virus, but are not healthy enough to work.

It's probably not any one thing, but a lot of different things.

[SheltieLover]

9. This could be a big part of it.

I play an online game that is overrun with ads. A few days ago, I was seeing Depends, with the model being a man who looked to be in his 30s!

[roamer65]

12. I suspect a lot retired.

[SheltieLover]

15. No doubt!

People unwilling to contract covid...

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

16. How is this factoring in with young people who are just entering the job market?

Whether it is kids who just got old enough to work, high school graduates, or fresh out of college?

Are they joining the crowd of those who will not go back to work until pay and work conditions improve?

[Demobrat]

17. They're driving for Uber and Lyft.

Or Amazon. Or DoorDash. And working for Task Rabbit. Making the gig economy work for them for now.