Georgia To Stop Federal Unemployment Supplement Next Month

Georgia will stop providing additional federal unemployment benefits that were passed by Congress to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last week that the extra $300 will be paid is June 26th.

Business leaders have said the federal benefits have created a labor crisis across the state. Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber stated that, “Because workers aren’t coming back into these jobs, we had companies tell us they are turning down orders, they’re even looking at shutting down operations.”

There are currently around 250,000 jobs available on the Employ Georgia website.

The pool of workers who are eligible for unemployment benefits, many self-employed, gig workers and freelancers that typically don't qualify for state benefits will be entirely cut off from assistance.

It’s uncertain if the federal money will be redirected, Clark suggested Kemp use the federal unemployment benefits, of $300 a month, for new hires to get a signing bonus or to pay for job training.