June 21, 2021
ICYMI: Whitmer’s Unemployment Policy Causes Massive Labor Shortage
Lansing, Mich., June 21, 2021 – In case you missed it, this weekend the Detroit News reported that Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s expanded unemployment policy is having a significant negative impact on Michigan’s labor market:
“The real culprit for the shortage isn’t a secret: Generous federal unemployment benefits incentivize people to stay home. Since March, an additional $300 has been given on top of Michigan benefits to the unemployed, for a maximum total of $662 a week.
This substantial compensation is keeping people from applying for jobs. In Michigan, 231,000 individuals are drawing on unemployment while 378,926 jobs are posted across the state.”
The report came after the Michigan House Workforce Committee hosted business owners from across the state last Thursday, to testify on the crippling effects of continuing Whitmer’s expanded unemployment benefits policy in Michigan. WATCH:
Governor Whitmer recently announced a plan to further expand the scope of these expanded unemployment benefits, with one plan that would offer unemployment benefits to individuals who are working.
“Governor Whitmer’s misguided economic policies are destroying Michigan’s labor market and making it more difficult for businesses to recover from her yearlong shutdowns,” said Eric Ventimiglia, executive director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Whitmer should focus on getting Michiganders back to work by removing the additional federal unemployment benefits which are currently incentivizing them to stay home.”