For Immediate Release: Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Contact: Phoebe Silag or Karen Conner, news@epi.org 202-775-8810

Extending unemployment insurance benefits is helpful, not harmful, to job seekers

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) that would reduce the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance benefits that the federal government provides to jobless workers from 73 weeks to 33 weeks. Today’s Snapshot shows that claims that unemployment insurance benefits dissuade the jobless from looking for work are untrue. Unemployed workers who receive unemployment compensation are more likely to search for jobs online, look at newspaper classified ads and to send email inquiries and applications to prospective employers than those who never receive benefits.