NH To Replace $300 Unemployment Boost With Work Incentive
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire will end its participation in all pandemic-related federal unemployment compensation programs next month but will offer "summer stipends" totaling $10 million to encourage people to find jobs, Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.
About 35,000 people are currently collecting unemployment benefits, all of whom are getting $300 per week supplemental payments either from the state or a federal program created during the pandemic. Those extra payments will end June 19 now that the unemployment rate has dropped and given the abundance of available jobs, Sununu said.
The state was among the first to expand eligibility for unemployment benefits when the pandemic first struck. Between March and April 2020, its unemployment rate jumped from 2.7% to over 16% but as of this month, was back down to 2.8%.
"We're very proud of that, we have a very robust economy and a lot of workforce opportunity, and wages are far and away higher than anything we've ever seen," Sununu said. "There are tens of thousands of jobs — high paying jobs — and they're available today."
Starting Tuesday, unemployed workers who find full-time jobs will get $1,000 bonuses after completing eight weeks of work, and part-time workers will get $500 until the $10 million fund is depleted. The stipends will be available for those earning $25 or less per hour.
Connecticut is offering a similar incentive, though it is maintaining the $300 supplemental payments for those who remain on employment.
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