Rowan News

North Carolina staffing agencies said in August that there are plenty of available jobs for workers but that incentives for people to remain unemployed and stay home make it difficult to fill those vacancies. 

The spread of COVID-19 resulted in state government action to shut down businesses to protect public health, but that also led to record highs in unemployment for many states. North Carolina watched its unemployment climb to almost 15% in Rowan County for May before dropping to 8.4% based on the Department of Commerce and U.S. Labor Bureau statistics reported by the Salisbury Post on Aug. 11. 

“It’s interesting because, with the state of our economy, there are a ton of jobs that are available right now,” Bianca Warren, a staffing supervisor with Bonney Staffing Center, said, the Salisbury Post reported. “However, with all the incentives people have to be home, unemployed, it’s made it a challenge to encourage people to accept assignments.”

In late March, federal lawmakers approved a stimulus bill that provided an extra $600 in unemployment benefits per week on top of state benefits. With that added benefit, some workers found that they could get more money filing for unemployment than they could for seeking a job.

The $600 weekly unemployment enhancement ended recently and the President signed an executive order that looks to provide $400 in added benefits instead. It's not clear legally if President Trump has the authority to provide the benefits through executive order. 

Patti Misenheimer, the company’s regional manager for Piedmont, said the job market shifts between there being more employment options and fewer opportunities, the Salisbury Post reported. However, in this economic climate, the lack of workers is an issue.  

“I think people have realized now that $600 did end, and even if it is $400 I think people will see that it’s not quite as much,” Misenheimer said. “I think we’ll see the pendulum swing a bit in the other way.”