Hundreds of Mainers have already depleted their unemployment benefits and their ranks are expected to more than double by the time Congress resumes work after Labor Day.
The Maine Department of Labor estimates that 419 Maine residents have exhausted the maximum 79 weeks of benefits and anticipates the total will rise to 953 by the time Congress is back in session next month, according to Capitol News Service.
Members of Maine’s congressional delegation said they were frustrated that lawmakers didn’t vote on an extension before leaving on break, as extended benefits passed under the recovery act begin to run out this month.
Maine’s unemployment rate in June was 8.5%, meaning there were 59,864 Mainers who were jobless and looking for work. That number does not include what the Maine Department of Labor calls “discouraged workers,” those who have given up on looking for a job after exhausting all benefits, the news service reported.
