Workers harvest artichokes at Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, CA.
“Complaining that people don’t want to work because they could make more on unemployment is a funny way of admitting that you pay poverty wages.”
This sentiment is circulating on the Internet these days. It responds to widespread claims that extended unemployment benefits, notably the federal bonus of $300 a week, are causing a labor shortage in the retail and restaurant industries (see, for example here) and U.S. jobless claims fall to 473K as more GOP governors bar aid.
There appears to be some truth to these claims. In an email to me, Philip L. Martin, a professor at the University of California specializing in farm labor, writes regarding the labor shortage in the restaurant industry, “This may be a case of fears of covid + the disincentives of UI [unemployment interest] fed and state.”
Changed by pandemic, many workers won t return to old jobs
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DEE-ANN DURBIN, STEPHEN GROVES, ALEXANDRA OLSON and JOSEPH PISANI
May 22, 2021
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1of17Nate Mullins, a former bartender from Oak, Harbor, Wash., who quit his job last November after clashing with managers over enforcing mask rules, poses for a photo near a street mural Monday, May 17, 2021, in Mount Vernon, Wash. There s a wild card in the push to return to post-pandemic life: many workers don t want to return to the jobs they once had. Mullins unemployment checks don t match what he was making at the bar, but they re enough to get by while he looks for jobs that would provide health care and retirement benefits.Elaine Thompson/APShow MoreShow Less
COVID- 19 | ¿Y si la gente no quiere volver a su trabajo? | ECONOMIA gestion.pe - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gestion.pe Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NEW YORK (AP) There s a wild card in the push to return to pre-pandemic life: Many workers don t want to go back to the jobs they once had.
Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. Their former employers are hiring again and some, like Uber and McDonald s, are offering higher pay but workers remain hesitant.
In March, U.S. job openings rose 8% to a record 8.1 million, but overall hiring rose less than 4%, according to government data.
Nate Mullins quit his job as a bartender last November after clashing with managers over mask rules and worrying that he would spread the coronavirus to his immune-compromised sister.
But Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist who researches low- and middle-income workers with the Economic Policy Institute, said health concerns and child care responsibilities seem to be the main reasons holding workers back.
In April, she said, at least 25% of U.S. schools weren t offering in-person learning, forcing many parents to stay home. And health concerns could gain new urgency for some workers now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most settings.
Shierholz added that unemployment benefits are designed to give workers the time to find jobs that are better suited to their abilities.