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Poll results

Sponsored by: OTELCO

Since the emergency expansion of unemployment insurance ended early last month, 7.5 million Americans have lost joblessness benefits entirely, with millions more losing the $300 weekly bonus checks.

The federal government began the additional assistance during the early days of the pandemic to help prop up the economy. From March 2020 to July 2020, Maine paid out more than $1 billion in unemployment compensation from federal and state funds, compared to just $74 million for all of 2019.

But some people criticized the supplemental benefits, saying they discouraged recipients from accepting available jobs.

However, as Mainebiz recently reported, the state continues to face a crippling labor shortage — despite the extra payments ending five weeks ago.

Is hiring in Maine becoming easier for you or your industry, now that supplemental unemployment benefits have ended?
Yes (21%, 52 VOTES)
No (79%, 190 VOTES)
Poll Description

Sponsored by: OTELCO

Since the emergency expansion of unemployment insurance ended early last month, 7.5 million Americans have lost joblessness benefits entirely, with millions more losing the $300 weekly bonus checks.

The federal government began the additional assistance during the early days of the pandemic to help prop up the economy. From March 2020 to July 2020, Maine paid out more than $1 billion in unemployment compensation from federal and state funds, compared to just $74 million for all of 2019.

But some people criticized the supplemental benefits, saying they discouraged recipients from accepting available jobs.

However, as Mainebiz recently reported, the state continues to face a crippling labor shortage — despite the extra payments ending five weeks ago.

  • 242 Votes
  • 10 Comments
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10 Comments

  • October 13, 2021

    4.3 million people quit their jobs in August! The Bureau of Labor and Statistic said that in August there were 10.1 million open jobs and 7.5 million people on unemployment, so there are more open jobs than unemployed people. The unemployed get 26 weeks of paid time off before they have to go look for a job...this is not a labor problem, this is a leadership problem within our government.

  • October 12, 2021

    This is no small shortage and the unemployment benefit are not the full answers as to why.

  • Paul Towle
    October 12, 2021

    100% of healthy able-body people will ultimately choose work over homelessness or starvation, if those were the only choices. Today we have easier choices (safety nets) and endless excuses.

  • October 12, 2021

    Finding workers is getting easier if you're a business that doesn't mandate employees to be vaccinated against their will.

  • Janet Wilson
    October 12, 2021

    I think that the pandemic and the extra unemployment benefits only speeded up a problem that was coming anyway. Our nation's low birth rate is unsustainable with people having only one, two, or often, no children. Soon there will not be enough workers to support all of the retirees. As more Baby Boomers leave the workforce, I expect to see the government raise the retirement age once again to provide more workers and to decrease stress on our already over-burdened social security system.