The Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the difficulties low-wage workers can face in getting unemployment benefits—particularly in states with large shares of Black workers, where benefits tend to be less generous and shorter-lasting.
But those advocating for change face little appetite for action in Congress, and the midterm elections could make pro-worker federal legislation even less likely if Democrats lose the House or Senate.
The more likely outcome—if past experience is indicative—is a patchwork of tweaks by state legislatures and agencies, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In June, Tennessee’s GOP-led legislature shortened the duration of benefits instead of the kinds of changes that would make them more accessible—mirroring a trend among states after the Great Recession of 2008-09.
The state-level “changes that are taking place have been all in the wrong direction,” said William Spriggs, a Howard University professor and chief economist for the AFL-CIO. Such changes worsen racial disparity, he added, because Black workers average longer durations of unemployment.
March marks two years since the unemployment crisis struck, leading more than 20 million people to file for benefits. The patchwork system helped keep millions afloat, but the pandemic also revealed weaknesses in state systems that delayed benefits, and exposed opportunities ...
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