The Georgia unemployment rate is under 5% so there’s not many people sitting at home as some here like to claim. I wouldn’t be surprised if many states have similar numbers.

People got screwed in the pandemic job market and moved on in order to survive. I don’t blame them for not wanting to come back to many of those same jobs now.

Edit: oh and a bunch of people under retirement age died too. Hard to go back to work when you’re six feet under.

 

When did your state opt out of the program and when did the last checks go out. 25 states have opted out but the effects won’t be felt until later in the summer.

 

I wouldn’t take that 5% as the end all be all, nor declare that GA is near full employment. The U-6/rate (includes unemployed, underemployed, and discouraged = “dropped out of labor force”), total labor force participation (still down from precovid, but much better than 6 months ago), and total labor force (also down from precovid, but also much better than 6 months ago) should also be considered when really assessing the relative health of the labor market and availability of suitable labor. Here’s the link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ga.htm. You can see that the labor participation rates and low unemployment all peaked from about September 2019 until just after January 2020.

Also in the data is a measurable upward trend on hourly wages (I know C19 is the important notable exception for most everyone here). A combination of less government money to stay home, tightening expectations that jobless seek jobs, and employers raising wages to attract new workers may coax more into the workforce. Our own company has historically had problems understanding that the labor market in different locations requires acknowledgment and adaptation to get the same product. You can’t pay GA wages for ramp personnel in NYC and expect to attract or retain the same quality of workforce, the entire market for labor and cost of living is higher. You actually need to pay more, but that often befuddles cube dwellers in the GO.

 

Don’t forget about the child tax credit payments coming this year. $300/month per child. That should get people back to work.

 

I know 300 per kid would pay my bills!

 

Why should that even exist?

 

Sounds like a great program to encourage people who shouldn't be having kids to begin with, to have more kids.. Great plan by Dems to get more Dem voters for the future.

 

Did that thought come to you before or after you donned the tin foil hat?

 

Why should anyone get money from the .gov for having children? As a matter of fact, it is the very definition of not 'paying your fair share'. More people = more stress on infrastructure. How is that fair? They are YOUR kids, YOU pay for them and get out of MY wallet.

 

I was getting worried this thread hadn’t gone political yet, thanks for getting it on track!