Unemployment a helping hand, not a free lunch

Usually when someone is on unemployment, they are required to look for work while they are receiving benefits. But that changed during the pandemic. And now, some lawmakers want to change it back. When the pandemic hit, Wisconsin lawmakers did away with a requirement that those receiving aid actively search for employment. At that time, jobs were being shed as companies positioned themselves to survive the economic downturn. Now, the economy has begun to rebound, but as we pointed out yesterday, many companies can’t find enough workers, and some are having to reduce their hours as a result of the staffing shortages. Wisconsin State Rep. Steve Nass wants to end the moratorium on job searches by the end of May. That makes sense. We need to get people into the workforce again in order to help local businesses survive. Making them search for work could help restore the workforce. Jobs are so plentiful that nearly anyone who wants to work can get one. But it seems that as long as state and federal unemployment benefits remain at current levels, allowing some to make more by not working, it may be a tough sell to get them back on the job.