The state of Oklahoma will offer $1,200 to thousands of citizens who have returned to work since the CCP virus pandemic in a back-to-work incentive.
“With employers in all sectors now hiring, assistance to families, job seekers, and employers must be prioritized as we continue to build a more prosperous Oklahoma,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement (
pdf). “Therefore, now is the time to provide for a workforce initiative.”
The Back-to-Work Initiative program requires Oklahomans to return to work and the first 20,000 people who meet several requirements could become eligible for a one-time payment of $1,200.
To qualify, Oklahomans need to be able to show an active unemployment claim from one of the first two weeks in May, a government statement (
pdf) from the initiative reads.
Workers also must have accepted, and worked, at a job position in the state for six consecutive weeks of either one full-time or two part-time positions of 32 hours or more per week. The incentive payment will be made after workers complete the sixth week of employment.
The program will last several months—or until 20,000 people have received the incentive. The duration for the paystub submission period will be from June 28 until Sept. 4, officials said.
“We believe the incentive can help people who haven’t returned to work because they’re caring for young children or older family members,” Jerrod Shouse, the state’s National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) director,
told The Center Square.
“It’s too soon to know what impact ending the federal unemployment supplement is having, but we’re hopeful it will encourage more people to re-enter the workforce.”
Shelley Zumwalt, CEO of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, told the media network that businesses in the state are facing an “unprecedented labor shortage” after they were hit by the
CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.
According to NFIB’s
latest job report, 46 percent of small business owners nationwide have positions they can’t fill and many industries were only able to hire about half of the workforce they need to be able to properly run their business.
