Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that on May 30th, he will be reinstating the work search requirements for jobless Floridians seeking unemployment benefits. In April, DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) extended the work search waivers through May 29th which allows applicants to receive benefits without reporting their weekly search for jobs to the DEO in the form of job applications.
Before the waivers were established in March 2020, individuals who were unemployed and looking for benefits had to complete and report five job applications to a registered career center or directly to the DEO. With the reinstatement of the work search requirements at the end of the month, and the denial of SB 1906 that would have increased the amount of weekly benefits and decreased the number of job applications required to report on a weekly basis, the process in attaining unemployment benefits will go back to how it was before the pandemic.
As of March 2021, the unemployment rate in Florida was 4.7% which is below the national average. However, given that unemployed Floridians have been able to receive benefits without looking for work, business owners are having a hard time recruiting people to fill vacant positions. The Florida DEO expressed that the food service and hospitality industry is one that has been majorly affected by the pandemic.
According to First Coast News, Chad Munsey, co-owner of The Bearded Pig in Jacksonville stated, “As an owner for 20 years… I’ve never seen a lack of applicants like it’s been right now. This extends just beyond restaurants…no one can find anyone.” Another business owner who is facing the same issue is Eddie Agramonte, owner of Gordos Cuban Cuisine in Tallahassee, Florida. Agramonte stated, “Right now I have I need to hire 30 people. There use to be stack of applications seeking work here and now there are none. It’s hard to find people to work when their other option is to stay at home and make money.”
Since the beginning of the work search waiver that started on March 15th, 2020, the state of Florida has paid approximately $27.2 billion in state and federal relief to 2.39 million unemployed Floridians.
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Casey Owens is a writer for The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
