GOv. Walz on Labor Shortage
After over a year of the pandemic and related shutdowns, many small business owners are ready to reopen and get back to work but are facing issues hiring due to ongoing benefits making returning to the workforce less profitable than staying out. The current worker shortage is causing many businesses to either conduct business with skeleton crews or remain closed indefinitely. A recent study conducted by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, reported over 200 businesses in the area responded to the survey (58%) saying that they blamed the labor shortage for the unemployment benefits.
Governor Walz, however, believes that something else is currently transpiring. According to him, “what we’re starting to see is a realignment of folks who aren’t going back to the same jobs. They’re looking for a little bit better wages. And we’re starting to see [this] and this was long overdue, and I’m empathetic to business owners that have to make that balance, but I’ve always believed that it certainly can’t be on the backs of workers.”
So according to Governor Walz, despite him implementing numerous measures to combat the spread of the virus, which ultimately led to severe yearlong financial losses for many small businesses. It is now the responsibility of business owners to compete with the enhanced and extended unemployment benefits that they’re currently receiving from the government. It should come as no surprise to Minnesotans that Governor Walz continues to turn his backs on small businesses. He would rather force businesses to make difficult decisions regarding this matter, rather than end the extended unemployment benefits as numerous states have already done.