The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the economy across the nation. We have seen unemployment rates at record numbers and many businesses were forced to shut down. In an effort to stabilize the effects of the pandemic, the U.S. Federal Government established several programs that provide additional unemployment benefits while removing many of the restrictions to qualifying for unemployment. Many people have been relying on these relief efforts to get by during these challenging times, but time is running out on these programs.
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According to the Office of the Governor, effective June 26, Georgia will no longer participate in these federal relief programs. The additional unemployment bonus will end and the requirements to qualify for unemployment will return to normal. Many will be left stranded after the programs end, but you don’t have to be. The economy has begun to rebound from the pandemic, and job openings are rising across the nation. The end of the pandemic is in sight, and we need to be ready for when it comes. Now is the time to take advantage of the rise in job openings before the unemployment benefits run out.
The workforce is struggling deeply to find workers for open positions. People don’t want to go back to work, and the extra unemployment checks, while necessary during the pandemic, are reinforcing that mindset. From Governor Kemp in a WTOC press release, “Even in the middle of a global pandemic, job growth and economic development in Georgia remained strong – including an unemployment rate below the national average. To build on our momentum, accelerate a full economic recovery, and get more Georgians back to work in good-paying jobs, our state will end its participation in the federal COVID-19 unemployment programs, effective June 26th.”
To learn more about the upcoming unemployment changes in your area please visit your state DOL (Department of Labor) online. Then search for Covid-19 unemployment news and updates.
It is critical that the unemployed begin looking for work now, before the unemployment benefits run out. Research the job openings in your area and begin preparing and applying now, before other people reentering the workforce fill those positions ahead of you. The pandemic is almost over! The economy will rebound and things will return to some semblance of normal, but we need to be prepared for when that happens.
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Copyright © 2021 by David Jones. All rights reserved.