Unemployed? Connecticut Will Pay You To Go Back To Work

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut's unemployment rate is trending down, but not its "work participation rate," so the state will soon offer residents a financial incentive to get back to punching a clock through the new "Back to Work CT" program.

Starting May 24, Connecticut residents who have been out of work "long term" may be eligible to receive a $1,000 "signing bonus" for returning to work at a full-time job, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday during a news conference.

To be eligible, workers must have filed an unemployment claim with the state for the week immediately prior to May 30; obtain and maintain a full-time job for eight consecutive weeks prior to Dec. 31; and not receive unemployment compensation during those eight weeks of employment.

The governor said there are currently 65,000 job openings in the state. He estimated the signing bonus program will cost about $10 million, to be paid out of CARES Act and other federal relief funds.

The state Department of Revenue Services will maintain a website, due to go live shortly, which will have details on how long a resident must have been out of work to qualify for the program; the governor estimated 8-12 weeks. Workers can apply for the program through the website.

At the end of the month, the Connecticut Department of Labor will also reinstate work search requirements for unemployment insurance recipients and pre-pandemic guidance on what constitutes suitable work. Work search requirements were waived last year, pursuant to federal law, when jobs were scarce and job searches were especially difficult. Twenty-nine states have reinstated those requirements.

According to Lamont, many people who are out of work with no apparent desire to go back to the grind are those who were already close to retirement and are less likely to take the state up on its offer. Others were women who lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic and are prevented from returning by the cost of child care, he said.

The governor is urging the state's unemployed to receive training in health care professions, where he says there are currently 12,000-13,000 available positions. Certification for most of these is available at state community colleges, according to Lamont.

Next month, the minimum wage in the state goes up a dollar to $13 an hour, which the governor hopes will be an incentive for some to return to work.

For residents who do not avail themselves of the state's new signing bonus plan, the extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits remains in place through Sept. 4.

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard's grocery store chain, joined Lamont at the news conference and said the enhanced unemployment benefits have become a major contributor to the rising cost of food.

Leonard said his suppliers can't attract enough workers due to "the amount they can get for not working — it's a real thing."

Truck drivers have concluded "it's not worth it to drive all over the place, especially with the fuel prices right now," according to Leonard, who said his stores were paying double to get a load of fresh berries from California.

"I don't think people getting paid to stay home right now is helping the price of food. Not only food, but a lot of other things," Leonard said.

Lamont was hopeful the state's new signing bonus program will trump the government's current enhanced unemployed benefits: "The majority of our people have been long-term unemployed ... we want them to take this opportunity to get back in the game."