.@USChamber poll: "One in six unemployed Americans who are not currently looking for work (16%) say the amount of money they are receiving from unemployment benefits and other government programs makes it 'not worth' pursuing a job." https://t.co/dS3DqfUzY8 pic.twitter.com/6MdwGGnMRj
— Michael R. Strain (@MichaelRStrain) June 11, 2021
The results from a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce poll of unemployed workers shed some additional light on the effects of pandemic unemployment benefits and other factors. Here are some of the poll’s key findings:
- Half (49%) of Americans who became unemployed during the pandemic say they are not actively or not very actively looking for work; less than a third (32%) report that they are strongly active in their job search.
- Six in 10 respondents (61%) say they are in no hurry to return to work. Three in 10 (30%) say they do not expect to return to work this year, with nearly half of those (13% of the total) saying they never plan to return to work.
- One in eight (13%) who became unemployed during the pandemic and remain unemployed have turned down at least one job offer in the past year.
- One in six not actively seeking work (16%) say the amount of money they are receiving from unemployment benefits and government programs makes it “not worth looking” for work.
- Even more –28 percent of survey respondents–agree that “There are a lot of people who are not looking for work because they can do almost or just as well collecting unemployment benefits.”
- Other common factors contributing to unemployed Americans not looking for work include childcare and other family care needs (24%), a lack of available jobs due in sectors that are still suffering (28%), and COVID-19 concerns (26%).
Check out the Chamber’s webpage for other results, analysis, and graphs.