As Congress dithers over the latest jobs bill, unemployed workers throughout the country face another week of uncertainty about their unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. A needed extension of the temporary UI benefits and subsidized COBRA health insurance in last year's Recovery Act is being "held hostage" (as the New York Times puts it) to misguided budgetary concerns and wrangling over how big a tax break wealthy investment fund managers should have.
The details are complicated, but the bottom line is simple: today, unemployed workers have much less help than they did before the Recovery Act's UI/COBRA provisions expired on June 2 -- and much less than they need given the difficult labor market.
What all this means is that at a time when the average jobless worker has been looking for work for 34 weeks -- the longest stretch on record -- and there are five job seekers for every opening, unemployed workers in 36 states who run out of their 26 weeks of basic UI benefits get no additional help.
Restoring these benefits and tackling the country's huge jobs deficit should be Congress's top priority. It's past time for lawmakers to turn this map
back into this one
Chad Stone is Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and blogs regularly at Off the Charts.
Still, we continue to do everything we can to stretch our savings and unemployment benefits, but there is only so much you can do if there are no jobs and no more unemployment benefits. When my husband first got laid off, we moved in with the in-laws, which comes with its own challenges, but has helped immeasurably. Now due to the prospects for jobs and careers, it has become increasingly necessary to consider creating our economic recovery, by starting our own business. In response, I started a blog community for people with similar experiences. We hope to encourage and inspire them to use this time to not just pursue a job, but rather their passion - whether that means entrepreneurship or not.
This should be TOP priority in DC!! There are no jobs so ppl need to stop assuming we are not looking and are lazy! I spent a year at war and still get treated like sh*t bc I'm on unemployment and pps think we're lazy and don't want to work. I'm SICK of it!!! I just came home from war and now have to deal with finding a job in a horrible economy. I owe on student loans and the timing of this couldn't be worse. It's so bad I'm thinking about going back to war in Iraq just to have some income. But even that will take 6months if I'm even am allowed to go before another unit leaves to deploy. I don't know what I am going to do until then.
PASS THE DAMN BILL!! Stop playing politics both Dems & the GOP!
AMERICANS NEED HELP NOW!!
Pretty bad when going off to fight a war is the only option I have for a job.
You're right about having to be in the service to have a job - it's all I see here in Colorado Springs - don't misunderstand, I am proud to have them along side me and enjoy their youth - BUT the numbers are amazing. Somebody is greasing somebody's palms and it isn't ours.
PASS THE DAMN BILL and hope you find a job soon....I know you're not lazy...we just need a little help from our "friends".
This is a disgrace...I am sure the military boys don't have this USA in mind while fighting. Every incumbent needs to go until we get a group of people who know the meaning of "teamwork" and "empathy". Forget the words "re-election", "fundraising" or "lobbyist".
Personally, I'm going to be fine....but it's the others I worry about. I will not vote for any incumbent no matter how they vote and am sure I'm not the only one. The people are speaking now.
they should be forming groups and protesting
if you don't ask you won't get