“The governor and commissioner agreed that changes are needed to support employers who continue to suffer from labor shortages.”
ATLANTA – The federal pandemic unemployment programs in Georgia may be changed soon.
According to a spokesman for Governor Brian Kemp’s office, Kemp and Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler met on Monday to discuss possible changes to programs in the state.
“The governor and commissioner both agreed that changes are needed to support employers who continue to see labor shortages,” said Mallory Blount of the governor’s office. “We expect final decisions on timing and other details in the coming days.”
The governor’s office did not comment on these changes.
However, some employers across the country struggled to fill their businesses as COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed to allow more people to live indoors.
The Associated Press reported that the economy is recovering faster than almost anyone thought that many companies get caught on the wrong foot when consumer demand rises. Employees themselves can now be added to the list of bottlenecks. Companies are posting more jobs than before the pandemic.
According to the Associated Press, a government survey last year showed that some workers feared contracting the virus and avoided looking for work.
Some also say that the federal unemployment benefit added weekly gave some workers more income than they would have received for their work.
RELATED: Why Are Restaurants Having Difficulty Finding Employees?
An example of a company with a labor shortage is the catering industry. Now that the COVID restrictions are being relaxed there are restaurants that cannot fully open due to a lack of staff.
“It scared some workers who said, ‘Oh my god, look how quickly they closed and how quickly they were affected,'” Karen Bremer of the Georgia Restaurant Association previously told 11Alive.
11Alive reported last week that the deficiency in Georgia is around 15%. Some companies offer great incentives to lure employees.
A comment posted on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce website on Monday mentioned that some companies are unable to find workers, so they are starting to decline orders and raise prices.
“Many restaurants only offer a drive-through and pick-up service, not because of COVID, but because they cannot find enough workers to fully support operations,” the comment said.
