KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal unemployment benefits end on Saturday for 1.3 million unemployed Americans. The checks will stop coming after a program signed into law back in 2008 expires. A bi-partisan group of lawmakers has proposed a short-term extension of three months.
That will make it to the floor of the Senate, but not until Congress returns to work in January. Millions of Americans are still out of work, despite the national rate dropping to a five-year low.
Employment placement workers say it’s becoming an all too familiar thing. New hires landing the job, but refusing to do what it takes to keep it.
“I think there’s a lot of people who want a job, but not everybody wants to work and there’s a difference,” Express Employment owner Jerry Hickey said.
Hickey has just about heard it all when it comes to applicants who say they’re desperate to work but their actions say otherwise.
“We had a gentleman last week who came in very excited at the fact that we offered a $14 an hour job. He was supposed to start the third-shift. He came in for his final round of tests, and then no-call no-showed,” Hickey said.
Express Employment has seen this trend most among males aged 20-to-30. The company says many come in with little-to-no skills, or education. But they want high paying jobs where they don’t have to do much.
“There seems to be an unwillingness for people to accept a starting position and work their way up. Those are the jobs that we have the highest turnover and it’s unfortunate because those are the people who need them the most,” Hickey said.
Staffing consultant Clinton Bradley feels that schools and universities are missing the mark when teaching basic job etiquette to a student. That’s especially true when determining what qualifies as an emergency, versus an excuse when calling in from work.
“If you’re that sick, get up and go to work. Let your boss send you home. Let the burden fall on them if you’re that bad,” Bradley said.
Bradley finds it shocking how many employees have to be reminded of the basics.
“If they understood taking time off work, calling in, how much money that costs to the company and how much comes out of their pocket, they’d have a better understanding,” he said.
Express Employment says it also competes with unemployment benefits to some degree. Some people have turned down job opportunities, to wait until their benefits run out.
