Espaillat’s claim has some truth to it, though average benefits likely lower
Facts And Fact Checking,Economy And Jobs,Unemployment
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and upper Manhattan, weighed in on why businesses are struggling to fill job openings. He blamed low wages.
He tweeted: "So, let me get this straight: 40% of jobs in this country pay less than the average unemployment check of $750/week. There’s no labor shortage, there’s a living-wage shortage."
Is Espaillat right?
His deputy chief of staff, Candace Person, sent us two sources to support claim.
The first, a news story from CNBC from June 2020, said around 40 percent of all workers could theoretically receive more in unemployment benefits than by returning to work. The story cited an analysis by Noah Williams, director of the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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