It’s surreal to think that after a more than yearlong pandemic and 450,000-plus COVID-19 unemployment filings in Rhode Island, that jobs would now be going begging.
But that’s what’s happening, not only here but across the country.
There are many legitimate reasons why some people are not able or ready to work. But it seems silly, despite the views of some economists, to think that generous federal benefits that served their purpose during the height of the pandemic are now not keeping some able recipients from returning to work.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is among the business groups seeking an immediate end to a supplemental weekly $300 federal benefit due to continue until Labor Day. Several states plan to do just that on their own.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee, however, said recently Rhode Island won’t follow suit.
Instead, he’s offering a Band-Aid to a wounded job market.
The state is restoring the unemployment work-search requirement, on May 23. But that overdue move could be undermined by planned changes allowing unemployment recipients to work more without losing government payments.
Proponents see this as a win for all sides. Desperate businesses get more help, while the unemployed or underemployed can ease back into the workforce without losing government benefits.
But legislative fixes designed to satisfy everyone rarely do.
And no one knows whether there will be enough local businesses, especially in hospitality, to welcome available workers back full time when the easy federal money runs out.