Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

The pros and cons of extending additional unemployment benefits

Jul 28, 2020
Money in jobless people's pockets can stimulate the economy, but longer unemployment payments could slow a recovery, experts say.
Baristas prepare drinks at a coffee shop in North Carolina. Some say high unemployment benefits are discouraging employees from returning to work during the pandemic.
Al Drago/Getty Images

Expanded unemployment benefits help small businesses, too

Jul 27, 2020
They have been a lifeline for laid-off workers. They also boost demand and enable businesses to focus on staying afloat.
A hostess at a Miami restaurant waits for customers behind a partition. The expanded unemployment benefits helped small businesses make decisions early in the pandemic.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

An eviction filing could lead to spiraling poverty

Jul 24, 2020
Once a court proceeding has started against a renter, it can become part of a tenant's record, whether it led to an eviction or not.
A sheriff's eviction notice is posted on the front door of a property in Florida. Even if a court filing doesn't lead to an eviction, it can stay on a tenant's record.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How will minority-owned businesses fare in CARES 4.0?

Jul 23, 2020
In a Thursday hearing, the Senate was told how Black business owners faced hurdles accessing Paycheck Protection Program funding.
Black business owners had a particularly rough time getting access to Paycheck Protection Program funds at first, says Ronald Busby, president of U.S. Black Chambers.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

PPP boosted employment through early June, study finds

Jul 23, 2020
As many as 3.2 million jobs were added by the federal Paycheck Protection Program, but the long-term effect is unknown.
With the coronavirus closing many businesses, the Paycheck Protection Program saved  millions of jobs that would have been lost, according to MIT research.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How the loss of $600 a week will impact jobless people we've been following

Jul 22, 2020
For some people, moving might be an option. For others, not much might change.
An applicant fills out an unemployment benefits form in Virginia. Temporary relief payments are scheduled to end soon.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Wave of evictions could hit U.S. as protections and benefits expire

Jul 17, 2020
Some cities and states are rushing too stave off a crisis that could affect all parts of the economy.
Residents protest rent and evictions during the pandemic in Washington, D.C,, in May.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Extra unemployment benefit during pandemic boosts spending

Jul 16, 2020
Normally, jobless workers receiving unemployment cut their spending by 7%. But a JPMorgan Chase study found it's rising — by 10%.
An employee administers a temperature check outside an Apple store. The government bonus paid to unemployed workers is scheduled to end at the end of this month.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Your guide to understanding unemployment insurance terms

Jul 16, 2020
A helpful glossary for terms and acronyms as the July 31 deadline approaches for Pandemic Unemployment Compensation to end.
iStock / Getty Images Plus

What the extra $600 unemployment benefit means in your state and city

Jul 16, 2020
Hover over the interactive map to see how much the extra $600 a week increases your benefits and what it takes to make rent.
iStock / Getty Images Plus