The impending end of federal supplemental unemployment benefits, research suggests cutting unemployment can hurt state economies, more employers requiring COVID-19 vaccines, and another Connecticut county becoming high-risk for COVID-19 transmission are among the top business news items this morning.
National
The White House is not planning to extend a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement past its Sept. 6 expiration. However, the Biden administration is encouraging states with higher unemployment rates to use leftover funding received through the American Rescue Plan to assist jobless residents, especially as the COVID-19 Delta variant creates short-term challenges.
New research suggests that states that ended supplemental unemployment benefits early had a negative impact on the states’ economies. The analysis of banking records of low-income workers receiving the benefits in April found that recipients were slightly more likely to be back to work in August if benefits were cut off, but were also significantly more likely to curtail their spending.
Business trends
The number of businesses requiring job applicants to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for consideration has jumped by 90 percent between July and August, according to the jobs site Indeed. However, the number of job postings with this requirement is still less than 1 percent of all vacancies.
Connecticut
The COVID-19 transmission risk for Fairfield County has been upgraded from substantial to high. Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London counties are also designated as high risk, while the remaining three counties in Connecticut are listed as substantial risk.
