Do You Support Ending Additional UI Federal Benefits TAG?

The Arnold Group has joined over a dozen Kansas business associations and numerous employers in a coalition to petition Governor Kelly to end Kansas' participation in the additional UI federal benefits and instead promote return-to-work initiatives and incentivize Kansans to re-enter the workforce. I wanted to extend the opportunity for your company to join me in our efforts by adding your company name to the quickly-growing number of supporters.

Following is the letter that will be sent to Gov. Kelly outlining the business perspective of recruiting and staffing challenges:

Governor Kelly,
 

On behalf of the assigned coalition, we are reaching out today to express concerns we are hearing from employers of all sizes and from all industries about the lack of available workers in the state. As everyone looks to move past the COVID pandemic, the business community felt it was important to share what we believe would be positive solutions to help the state- for both the public and private sector.
 
Employers with temporarily remote employees are slowly phasing-in the return of their workforce to the physical office. While the state’s unemployment rate is low (3.7%), the most recent Kansas labor report available online shows Kansas with 48,900 fewer jobs than one year ago. The March 2021 labor report shows 58,468 individuals receiving unemployment insurance. As you're aware, there are more than 40,000 current jobs openings across Kansas, as tweeted on May 3, 2021:
 

Our coalition would respectfully ask that the state end the additional UI federal benefits. We believe this benefit was an important short-term solution to help individuals who were impacted at the start of the pandemic. However, 13 months later, many employers are finding it near impossible to fully staff their business which is impacting the supply chain and timely delivery of goods and services. Additionally, if there’s the opportunity, we would advocate to redirect available federal dollars toward incentivizing return-to-work and/or retraining initiatives for Kansans who might have lost their jobs during the pandemic but have struggled to re-enter the workforce.
 
We appreciate your consideration of these suggestions and the concerns of the Kansas business community and would welcome any opportunity to visit further with you on this important issue.
 

If your company is struggling with the lack of available workers, I invite you to join your voice with ours - together, we will make a difference.

Sincerely,
Phil Hayes, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Vice President
Cell: 316.619.7864