It was disheartening to hear the recent statistics showing payrolls fell by 190,000 workers last month and the U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 10.2 percent. These numbers have been creeping up for some time now, and families nationwide are hurting from lost jobs, lost benefits, and lost sense of self. There had to be something different – something better – that could be done.
Though we knew we weren’t the first to tackle this challenge, we decided to use the skills we had – researching. One program in particular stuck out – work sharing. Simply put, work sharing is mutually beneficial to both employers and employees – a win/win situation. Employers reduce workers’ weekly hours and pay, and the workers collect unemployment from the state in lieu of being laid off.
Update: Mark Zandi’s piece on this important subject is here and includes the following:
Still, the recovery remains fragile. No doubt, there will be moments in the coming months when the economy appears liable to falter again. In order to ensure that today’s tentative recovery becomes a lasting expansion, the government must now make it a priority to deal with employment ”” particularly among small businesses.