Keystone Today

As the nation tries to dig itself out of financial turmoil from the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania is struggling to keep its head above water, lagging well behind other states in terms of economic recovery.

Go Erie recently reported that the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry is preparing to repay $14 million to roughly 250,000 citizens across the state who were overcharged interest payments.

According to KDKA CBS Pittsburgh, officials in Pennsylvania have decided to reinstate the job-search requirement for those collecting or seeking to collect unemployment benefits. Currently, the number of Pennsylvanians collecting unemployment is 750,000, roughly 5.8% of the population.

Jennifer Berrier | PA Dept. of Labor & Industry

“As many Pennsylvanians explore new career options and employers are eager to hire skilled workers, we want people to connect with job training and other resources that can help them to start good jobs and successful careers,” Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier said, according to Go Erie.

The Times reported that unemployment rates have remained high in Pennsylvania, even increasing in recent weeks. Many other states have had long stretches of improvement, unlike Pennsylvania. The unemployment rate in May for the state of Pennsylvania was 6.9%, according to information from Pennsylvania Pressroom.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average unemployment rate is 5.9%.

While the state tries to combat unemployment and continue its economic recovery, Republicans in the Pennsylvania Legislature are considering passing a bill that would end the extra federal unemployment benefits early, much like many other states have already done, according to The Morning Call.

Nearly 2 million Americans have turned down job offers because they are collecting enough unemployment to live on, according to an Axios report on a recent poll. Employers around the state told the York Daily Record that the current economic situation, especially regarding employment, is a "full-blown crisis."

"In talking with individuals receiving unemployment benefits who have not yet returned to work, we have found that a variety of personalized factors have played a role in certain industries having difficulty finding workers," Rachel Wrigley, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, told the York Daily Record. "Child care -- which the command center pointed out was a problem before the pandemic -- is a barrier to parents returning to work, as is the need for people to get vaccinated, since many industries (that) experienced shortages provided direct customer service."

Many argue that Pennsylvania's low minimum wage -- $7.25 per hour -- is a reason why many are choosing not to return to work, reported The Morning Call. Pennsylvania Rep. Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg) is sponsoring a bill to gradually increase the state's minimum wage.