As COVID-19 was at its peak, the government issued new policies for unemployment benefits, as well as those who are eligible for these benefits. The maximum weekly benefit rate was raised to $350, and the maximum amount of time where people were eligible for these benefits was raised to 12-20 weeks. Furthermore, people are still able to work part-time and collect these benefits. Overall, this is helping to keep our current labor shortage as high as it is because people are able to work less while still keeping a constant income. Thousands of businesses are understaffed, some not even able to remain open.

          While changing these rules on unemployment benefits may benefit the workforce, there still are people that need these benefits to survive. This is why they will not go away completely, but should be reformed. A lower maximum weekly benefit rate should be implemented, as well as a shorter time allowed. Also, people with part-time jobs should have a short period where they are able to keep their unemployment benefits until they find a full-time job. The FUTA tax is a 6% tax on all business owners that goes towards funding unemployment benefits. With a decrease in these benefits, the tax will be able to be lowered, allowing these companies to focus this extra money on paying workers higher wages. This will entice people to rejoin the workforce, as their wages will be far more than the unemployment benefits. Help us fix the economy and bring the workforce back to what it once was.