Charleston Gazette-Mail – This past weekend marked the end of West Virginia’s participation in federally enhanced unemployment programs, enacted to address joblessness in the wake of the pandemic, and, now, thousands of struggling West Virginians are losing crucial supports regardless of whether good-paying jobs are available to them. Read the full article.
This short-sighted decision was made in an attempt to get displaced workers back into jobs, despite the data showing that people will rarely choose even generous unemployment benefits over stable employment.
While the move to withdraw from federal unemployment programs likely will not have the effect Gov. Jim Justice desires, one way to ensure a long-term, healthy recovery is to address the barriers and challenges that people face to finding work, rather than pulling the rug out from under them.
