NFIB State Director Gregg Thompson today urged Gov. Roy Cooper to sign Senate Bill 116, legislation that would address North Carolina’s labor shortage by ending federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits ahead of schedule as 26 states already have done.
“Last summer, we saw businesses across the state limit services and close early because of social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions,” Thompson said. “This summer, we’re seeing the same thing because businesses can’t find enough people to work.
“NFIB believes that ending the federal unemployment supplement early will encourage more people to reenter the workforce and help small businesses and other employers meet the needs of their customers and fully recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn.”
A national NFIB survey of small business owners released earlier this month showed a record 48% had positions they couldn’t fill. The survey said 34% of owners had raised compensation and that another 22% planned to raise compensation in the next three months.
“The federal unemployment supplement was always intended as a temporary fix to help people who lost their jobs and couldn’t return to work because of the pandemic,” Thompson said. The benefits are set to expire nationwide in September.
“Our small business members want to thank the General Assembly for passing Senate Bill 116 and encourage Governor Cooper to sign it into law,” Thompson said. “North Carolina’s job creators need relief now so our state’s economy can become as strong as it was before the pandemic.”
