Delaware’s Labor Secretary warns unemployment taxes after COVID-19 could hinder recovery
From WDEL
Delaware Department of Labor Secretary Cerron Cade said Delaware could be providing over $50 million a week in benefits soon, and the bill that will be due afterwards could hurt economic recovery.
Speaking during a Facebook Live Listening Session on Monday, Cade said Delaware has handed out around $30 million in unemployment benefits in each of the past two weeks, and that number could rise as more groups become eligible to file for unemployment during the pandemic.
Cade said they’ve applied for a loan from the federal government to help and also are getting relief from the federal CARES Act.
“The [total] number could be $850 million over the next three months alone. But more realistically, the state’s share of that will probably be a little bit less, in terms of what we’re going to have to figure out and handle, but it’s going to be a big number.”
Whatever the final cost to the state ends up being, Sec. Cade said one issue is going to be refreshing that fund, which could come in the form of higher unemployment taxes as businesses will be trying to land on their feet after some have been hindered or closed for weeks and months.
“If the state and federal government don’t figure out how to address that number across the states–not just in Delaware–you’re going to see a lot of businesses and non-profit organizations struggle to pay unemployment taxes and struggle to hire people as we try to dig out of this hole.”