Gregory-Come-Lately Grabbitt once again leading from the back. Only after Florida, ‘Bama and a number of other states announced more than a week ago that they would be opting out of enhanced federal unemployment benefits due to the pandemic, Grabbitt finally follows.
A number of business groups including the Texas Association of Business have been urging Gov. Grabbitt to opt out of the enhanced federal benefits saying it has led to labor shortages.
Glenn Hamer, Texas Association of Business CEO, says the federal government's unemployment stimulus is providing a disincentive for many people to go back to work while job openings are at historically high levels. He says “if you go around any city or town in Texas you will see job openings everywhere for jobs well over minimum wage, talking $17-$18 restaurants and hotels service sector jobs.”
Of course, the partisan hacks in local media is spinning like this:
Just a flat out lie, “most Houstonians” are working.
“The Texas economy is booming and employers are hiring in communities throughout the state. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the number of job openings in Texas is almost identical to the number of Texans who are receiving unemployment benefits. That assessment does not include the voluminous jobs that typically are not listed, like construction and restaurant jobs. In fact, there are nearly 60 percent more jobs open (and listed) in Texas today than there was in February 2020, the month before the Pandemic hit Texas.”
He says the focus must be on helping unemployed Texans connect with the more than a million job openings, rather than paying unemployment benefits to remain off the employment rolls.