Businesses looking for a quick return to normal are running into a big hitch: Workers on unemployment benefits are reluctant to give them up, the Wall Street Journal reported. That’s complicating plans to reopen states and get the U.S. economy back on track. For some workers, unemployment benefits are now paying more than their old jobs did. For others, safety concerns or a lack of child care, as most schools and day-care centers remain closed, are making them hesitant to go back. That means reopening may not go as quickly or as smoothly as some elected officials and business owners had hoped. Friday’s jobs report is expected to show U.S. employers cut 21.5 million jobs in April, or the equivalent of all the jobs added in the past decade. The pressure for businesses to staff back up is especially intense as many have tapped federal loans contingent on paying employees. The government’s Paycheck Protection Program forgives the loans if companies bring back all workers within eight weeks of receiving funds that can be used to pay operational expenses such as payroll and rent.
