(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It is a common gripe: Businesses now are understaffed because people would rather rake in unemployment benefits than work.
University of Illinois labor and employment relations professor Bob Bruno said there’s nothing to that.
"It's a canard," Bruno said Wednesday. "In fact, historically, we have never had a systemic problem of large numbers of people choosing to live off some sort of social welfare benefit, as opposed to a full-time job that pays at least above a minimum wage."
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And what about the conservative argument that the Biden administration is overpaying on unemployment benefits and economic stimulus?
"Part of the business community — conservative individuals — have made the case that any sort of government program suppresses the ability or the interest of individuals to work," Bruno said.
"That's never been true. That's not what the data shows. That is not how they operate. In fact, they are a supplement. They help make American capitalism vibrant. They're not really a drag."
Bruno said with everything seemingly opening up at once, would-be workers can be more discerning when looking for a job. His advice: Employers with less-desirable vacancies ought to up their game.
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