Montana plans to cancel unemployment benefits to address ‘severe workforce shortage’
Denitsa Tsekova
Montana plans to stop some of its federally-funded unemployment benefits to address “the state’s severe workforce shortage,” according to its labor department, which will leave many out-of-work residents without any support at all.
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Instead, the state will begin to offer return-to-work bonuses to help employers looking to hire.
Starting June 27, Montanans will lose access to the extra $300 in weekly unemployment benefits, but maintain their regular benefits. Contractors, gig workers, and others will also lose access to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, meaning those workers won’t get any benefits.