The extra money the federal government has been paying for unemployment benefits runs out at the end of the week, and Louisiana officials work to get word out that some people need to find jobs.
Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill at the end of the 2021 session that added $28 to the state's weekly unemployment payments, the first increase in over a decade. But it also eliminates the $300 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), the additional weekly money made possible under the American Rescue Act. That benefit was originally set to expire in September.
Business lobbyists and legislative Republicans urged the governor to end the enhanced benefits sooner, as many businesses reported trouble in filling vacancies.
"Our core mission has always been putting Louisianans to work, but that is more important now than ever," said Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates. "What matters right now is helping people provide for themselves and their families and making sure Louisiana comes back stronger than ever."
The extra money from the feds also allowed people who don't normally qualify for unemployment to claim benefits, such as self-employed workers who couldn't offer their services while the economy was shut down during the pandemic. The most obvious example of this are so-called "gig workers," everyone from nightclub musicians to rideshare drivers.
Click here for the Louisiana Workforce Commission's job-finding resources.
