Local businesses owners are concerned that people are continuing to collect unemployment benefits while not actively looking for a job.
TRAVEL, MY INTERVIEW AHEAD . >>> NOW HIRING, HELP NEEDED, SIGNING BONUSES, ADS ARE EVERYWHERE. >>> 5 ON YOUR SIDE TAKES A LOOK AT LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS, FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING. >> THE FRONT DESK IS READY, BUT EMPTY AT DS COLOR SALON IN RALEIGH. >> THE EMPLOYMENT SHORTAGE IS JUST CRAZY. LIKE SO MANY BUSINESS OWNERS, JENNIFER PATRONELI CANNOT FILL POSITIONS. >> PEOPLE ARE APPLYING, THEY JUST COMPLETELY DON’T SHOW UP TO THE INTERVIEW OR IN PERSON OR ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN WE SCHEDULE A PHONE INTERVIEW. >> COME ON IN. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW ANYBODY WHO WORKED IN A RESTAURANT AND THEN GOT LAID OFF DURING COVID COULD COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT RIGHT NOW WHEN THERE IS A NOW HIRING SIGN IN ALMOST EVERY RESTAURANT IN THE STATE, THEY DAVID BRIGHAM, SITING STAFFING ISSUES. >> INSTEAD OF 9 PEOPLE IN THE KITCHEN, THEY HAD TWO COOKS, ONE PREP COOK, ONE OF THE OWNERS, SHE WAS BACK THERE WASHING DISHES. >> MULTIPLE OWNERS WE TALK WITH BLAME A BIG PART OF THE SHORTAGE ON THE ADDED $300 A WEEK IN FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT THAT JUST ENDED. AS OF JUNE, RECIPIENTS MUST AGAIN LOOK FOR WORK, BUT THE OWNERS BELIEVE MANY OF THOSE APPLYING ARE JUST GETTING INFORMATION NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENT. >> I’VE NEVER RECEIVED A CALL FROM UNEMPLOYMENT SAYING, DID SO AND SO SHOW UP FOR THEIR INTERVIEW. >> WE ASKED THE DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY WITH VERIFICATION AND AUDIT PROCESS, A SPOKESPERSON TELLS US, WORK SEARCH RECORDS ARE REVIEWED DURING MANDATORY EMPLOYMENTS, BUT STAFF DO NOT CONTACT EMPLOYERS, SHE SAYS MORE THAN 11,000 OF THOSE DEPLOYMENTS HAPPENED IN JUNE OR JULY. UNEMPLOYMENT RECIPIENTS MUST KEEP RECORDS FOR 5 YEARS FOR AUDIT PURPOSES, BUT WE LEARNED THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ONLY REQUIRES NORTH CAROLINA TO AUDIT 520 CLAIMS A YEAR. SO BETWEEN MARCH 2020 AND 2021, OUT OF ALMOST 9,073 CLAIMS FILED THE STATE HAD TO CHECK ON .05 OF 1% OF CLAIMS. >> THERE IS FAR BETTER DOCUMENTATION THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO FIND A JOB. >> SAYS SO THAT HE AND OTHER BUSINESSES CAN FIND PEOPLE TO WORK. >> HAD A RECORD MAY, RECORD JUNE, RECORD JULY, YOU CAN’T FIND PEOPLE? >> YOU ARE WELCOME, THANK YOU. >> WE ASKED DES, HOW MANY AUDITS AND RECIPIENTS HAVING TO REPAY THE STATE, A SPOKESPERSON SAYS DATA IS NOT AVAILABLE YET FOR THIS YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR ONLY 390 CLAIMS WERE AUDITED BECAUSE THE PANDEMIC CAUSED REVIEWS, OUT OF THOSE, 109 PEOPLE HAD TO REPAY THE STATE, IN 2019, 123 PEOPLE HAD TO REPAY. MEANWHILE, MANY EMPLOYERS WE TALK WITH SAY, THEY JUST HOPE THE END OF THE EXTRA FEDERAL MONEY WILL PROMPT PEOPLE TO PURSUE JOBS. MONICA LIBERTY WRAL NEWS 5 ON YOUR SIDE. >>> MONICA ADDS, CRITICS SAY P OF THE JOBS DON’T PAY A LIVING WAGE OR INCLUDE BENEFITS, HOWEVER SHE SAYS THAT TIDE IS BEGINNING TO CHANGE AS MORE
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