- 25 Republican governors have announced the early termination of federal enhanced unemployment benefits (+$300/week) originally set to last until September.
- Cut-off justifications include the economic recovery, vaccine availability and labor shortage.
- While there are 9 million US job openings, unemployed people in these states still report challenges securing stable, living wages and have had to rely on inconsistent gig-work (eg DoorDash).
- A study found that lingering Covid fears and unavailable childcare are the biggest factors keeping people from returning to work.
