US Chamber of Commerce blames ‘disappointing’ jobs report on hefty unemployment benefits

On Thursday, a “disappointing” April jobs report revealed that 266,000 new jobs were added to the economy and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attributes the dismal report to the number of Americans comfortably relying on unemployment benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We need a comprehensive approach to dealing with our workforce issues and the very real threat unfilled positions poses to our economic recovery from the pandemic,” U.S. Chamber Executive Neil Bradley said in a statement Friday.

One step, he said, the federal government should take to add more jobs to the labor market is ending the $300 weekly supplemental benefit.

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