While 11 states have now signed up to pull the plug on federal unemployment benefits to help motivate recipients to step up and fill a record number of jobs, FTR Transportation Intelligence cautioned that fleets probably shouldn’t get too excited about banking on state policies to fill driver vacancies.
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, introduced by President Joe Biden earlier this year, pays unemployed workers $300 a week on top of state benefits. Critics contend that the extra money is convincing potential workers to steer clear of a swelling job market.
In its latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) report released this week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 8.1 million job openings for March, a record high for the series that began in December 2000.
[Related: Trucking conditions hit record high in March]
While those job openings include plenty of driver positions, FTR Vice President Avery Vise said states ending those $300 federal checks in June or July ahead of the Sept. 6 federal cut-off will more than likely not see stampede of ideal driver candidates despite hopes to the contrary.
