More Missourians than ever before are out of work. Since the coronavirus started creeping its way into the state’s economy in mid-March, more than 339,000 people have requested unemployment aid.
That’s nearly double the number of jobless claims filed in all of 2019. During his coronavirus briefing, Governor Parson says he does not think the state has enough money in its unemployment insurance fund to help everyone requesting aid.
Parson says the state will have to make more withholds or funding cuts within state agencies to help with unemployment benefits if the federal government does not step up. The federal government’s 349 billion dollar Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses in crisis ran out of money in less than two weeks.
