The average weekly unemployment benefit is $638 - $300 more than in 2019 People are earning $16-an-hour - more than double the $7.25 minimum wage Businesses are desperate to recover from the pandemic but can't fill their jobs Business owners are forced to pay higher wages to attract workers Republican states are cutting unemployment to get people back to work Mitch McConnell said the government has 'flooded the zone with checks' He accused the Biden administration of dissuading people from looking for jobs Montana's governor replaced unemployment with $1,200 bonuses to get jobs South Carolina is also scrapping the federal $300-a-week unemployment boost April's jobs growth was a quarter of what was expected at just 266,000