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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says paying people not to work is not working. He is talking about the push to end enhanced unemployment benefits.
Cox told CNN State of the Union on Sunday that the biggest problem in Utah is finding workers for unfilled jobs.
Host Jake Tapper asked Cox if other governors' plans to start rolling back those benefits are a good idea. Cox said, "unfortunately yes."
"It is a terrible jobs report, not what we were expecting at all, but that's what happens when we pay people not to work," said Cox, referring to Friday's unemployment numbers. "Now, there are families struggling, we want to help them out, but at some point, have to roll that back."
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox: "It is a terrible jobs report, not what we were expecting at all. That's what happens when we pay people not to work." https://t.co/VKwKUgmQZDpic.twitter.com/zSJKbtphcD
— The Hill (@thehill) May 10, 2021
The White House says the enhanced unemployment is not a disincentive to working. A position that other reports say isn't true. For example, restaurants say they can't even get people to apply.
"The biggest problem we have in the state of Utah is finding workers for the jobs that are available, and as we talk to workers, we find it is a disincentive," said Cox.
Some governors are planning to roll back the enhanced benefits, including the governors of Montana, South Carolina and Arkansas. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said, "employees are as scarce today as jobs were a year ago."
