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Being Unemployed May Be More Rewarding Than Having A Job Being Unemployed May Be More Rewarding than having a Job

Unemployment is paying more than minimum wage

By Janelle Pottinger

A red and white poster on a door
© 2021 Janelle Pottinger

Reporter: TO GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK,
SOME COMPANIES HAVE BEEN OFFERING ONE-THOUSAND-DOLLAR SIGNING
BONUSES, FREE MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND EVEN PUTTING UP ADS SAYING THEY PAY MORE THAN UNEMPLOYMENt. JASON RYAN, MARKETING DIRECTOR FOR DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE, HAS SOME UNIQUE WAYS OF GETTING POTENTIAL WORKERS ATTENTION.

Jason Ryan:” We’ve now started doing TikToks to appeal to a younger audience to showcase a day in the life of a manager showing how you have potential to move up.”>

Reporter: AS OF DECEMBER 2020, UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS HAVE BEEN GIVING AN EXTRA 300-DOLLARS A WEEK TO THOSE WITHOUT A JOB.IN NEW YORK CITY THE MINIMUM WAGE IS 15-DOLLARS AN HOUR. FOR SYRACUSE, THE MINIMUM WAGE IS 12-DOLLARS 50 CENTS. IN ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO APPEAL TO WORKERS, THE DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE IN SYRACUSE RAISED ITS MINIMUM WAGE TO 15-DOLLARS AN HOUR. TO RYAN, THIS OUTREACH MEANS MORE THAN GETTING WORKERS TO FILL THE GAP

Ryan: “I think one thing that Dino has going for us is, it’s almost a lifestyle. We have so many staff that has been here 20, 30 years and this is their family. it becomes a part of their everyday life.

Reporter: SO FAR AT LEAST 26 STATES HAVE REDUCED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRIDGE THE LABOR SHORTAGE. UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS ARE SCHEDULED TO END SEPTEMBER SIXTH.JANELLE POTTINGER, N-C-C NEWS.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Free mental health care, $1,000 signing bonuses and advertisements saying they pay more than unemployment are just a few things that some companies are doing to attract potential workers.

The current labor shortage is impacting many businesses. Locally and worldwide, this is being credited to unemployment benefits. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is just one of the many restaurants in Syracuse that is experiencing a labor shortage but is taking unique steps to get new workers.

 

Outside Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a well-known restaurant in Syracuse where you can get anything barbeque.
© 2021 Janelle Pottinger, July 15

“We increased our start rate, most jobs start at $15 an hour, which minimum wage has not changed to that yet in upstate… we are trying to set what it should be like for a restaurant,” said Jason Ryan, Dinosaur marketing director.

Currently, government unemployment benefits are paying more than a minimum wage job in Syracuse. The minimum wage in Syracuse is $12.50 an hour and in New York City $15.

Along with the pay increase, at the beginning of the pandemic, Ryan offered signing bonuses of $250 to new employees who were there for 90 days or more. The use of TikTok videos to show a day in the life of a manager is another form of recruitment that Ryan used to appeal to a younger audience. The meaning behind Ryan’s attempts to get more workers runs deeper than filling a gap or meeting a number. He considers his business a lifestyle.

“I think one thing that Dino has going for us is, it’s almost a lifestyle…We have so many staff that has been here 20, 30 years and this is their family. It becomes a part of their everyday life,” Ryan said.

As of right now, at least 26 states have reduced unemployment benefits in an attempt to combat the labor shortage. Unemployment benefits are expected to end on September 6th.

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