The federal government releases a monthly employment report. The report shows the number of jobs created in the prior month and the national unemployment rate. Also included is the number of long-term unemployed Americans – the people who have been jobless for 27 weeks or longer.
The latest report shows the number long-term unemployed at 2.8 million Americans, accounting for 31.9 percent of the unemployed. That number is much too high. Our economy won’t be where it should be until we address this problem. Every American willing and able to work should have opportunities in our economy. The government should encourage job creation where it can and get out of the way where it hurts rather than helps.
Obamacare’s mandates are an example of hurting rather than helping job creation and continued employment. Under just one of the mandates, any business with 100 or more full-time employees must provide government-approved insurance or pay a fine in 2015. Beginning in 2016, any business with 50 or more full-time employees must comply with the mandate.
Employers are forced to meet the requirement rather than focus on expanding their businesses and creating jobs. That’s why I’m an original co-sponsor of legislation introduced the first week of the new session of Congress that will provide an incentive for employers to hire long-term unemployed Americans by permanently exempting those employees from the government-mandated Obamacare employee count. Exempting the long-term unemployed will encourage employers to hire these individuals and help solve a chronic problem.