The extra $600 in federal weekly unemployment benefits received by millions of Americans is set to expire on July 31. In a survey by FiveThirtyEight, more than half of the economists who participated said either keeping the payment steady or increasing it "would be most beneficial to the economy." But some employers say that the benefit has made it difficult to hire new workers; they say good job are left unfilled since workers prefer to take the extra support. Many workers say the benefit has allowed them to stay afloat during the pandemic, and has provided security when future forms of income are uncertain.
This hour, our guests discuss the short and long term impacts of the benefit and what it means for the job market. Our guests:
- Kevin Schulte, CEO of GreenSpark Solar
- John Love, president of Bob Johnson Chevrolet
- Crescenzo Scipione, secretary of council for Metro Justice
- Zahyia Rolle, local artist and performer
