DES MOINES – The Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program, which has provided Iowans with up to 47 additional weeks of benefits, will expire at the end of December as the program has not been extended by Congress. The week ending December 29th will be the last payable week of the program.
“Iowans have benefited from federal unemployment program since the summer of 2008,” stated Iowa Workforce Development director Teresa Wahlert. “The number of individuals unemployed in Iowa continues to decrease and the state consistently maintains the fourth lowest unemployment rate in the country.”
Individuals, currently receiving EUC benefits will be notified by the department over the next week regarding their individual benefit situation. With the cessation of the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, unemployment claimants in Iowa, who qualify for benefits, will still be eligible to receive up to 26 weeks of regular benefits through the state system in a 52 week period.
“I strongly encourage anyone in need of employment assistance to visit one of our 15 regional IowaWORKS centers, three satellite offices or one of the more than 800 virtual access technology locations across the state,” said Wahlert.
Extended EUC benefits reduces an individuals need to find employment. As long as he/she has a handout, why should they work? Maybe expiration of those benefits isn’t such a bad idea after all.
You people in Iowa put helped put Obama in office twice, now don’ whine about unemployment or anything else you’re in for!!
Some will think that their savior (Obama) will come through for them again and get this program extended, so they are not worried. What’s a little more governement bacon?
You do realize that Congress has to approve an extension? You give too much credit to the President.
@ ArmBears-And that is your right to go with Ma and Pa. As it should be every employers right to go with whoever they choose w/out having the “age discrimination” label thrown at them. They are paying the wages. It’s their money. It should be their choice as to how they spend it.
I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. What do the people do that can’t find jobs. Yes, there are some that abuse the system but not all are that way. I will make a statement that will probably set some people off but I know it is true, people that are over 55 years of age and out of work will probably have problems getting a job. Especially if they were making decent wages. It is like someone just threw a switch and you no longer get considered for those jobs. Age discrimination is alive and well.
You label it age discrimination. Look at it from the employers point of view. A number of times the 55+ worker cannot physically due the work required at the job site. Or if he/she can, they wind down after 3-4 or 5 hours on the job. I worked at a factory for 25 years, and I can vouch for the fact that older people (in some jobs) can not produce the same as they did when they were younger. So from an employers POV, he wants the best bargain for the wages he pays. Too many people use the discrimination label, be it age, race, disability, whatever, to make up for the fact that maybe they just shouldn’t have gotten the job in the first place.
The trade off for employers is that older workers are reliable, dependable, they come to work clean and sober, demonstrate a core set of values that made this country great and they don’t steal the company blind. As an employer I will go with Ma and Pa any time!
@a citizen-you are correct that there are jobs that some 55 and older people can not do as well as when they were younger and those are usually the labor jobs that require strength and endurance. Notice that I said some people because that is true of all ages. In the skilled trades older people are generally better than the younger ones because they know all the ways (tricks of the jobs. That is why supervisors always go to the “older” people for help when needed. The real problem is “older” people have been in the workforce long enough that they are at the top of the wage scale and employers don’t want to pay it.
Older people also have more medical problems. That means higher premiums if the employer is providing insurance. It’s discriminatory, but true, and has a huge effect on the bottom line of the business.