Half back to work

The number of people on unemployment in the valley is unbelievable. While the President talks of 9 percent unemployment, the number in the valley is more like 18 to 20 percent, and that doesn’t include the people who have given up on employment.

Clearly there are not enough jobs!

However, there are some jobs, and many of those are part time. 

At present, the person on unemployment has no incentive to accept a part-time job because anything he or she makes is subtracted from their unemployment check.

The government has not helped by simply adding one extension after another onto the unemployment program. President Obama, now talks of adding additional unemployment extensions making it over two years.

What is needed is a Back-to-Work stimulus.

Here is what we have in mind. 

A person who can find part time work should be allowed to keep some of the money he or she earns in addition to receiving full time unemployment.

Perhaps half of the money received for the part-time job could be paid to the employee and the other half could go to the government to help defray the cost of unemployment. 

It would be a win-win  situation. Part-time jobs often lead to full-time jobs. 

When and if the economy comes back the Half Back Employee will be already trained to start full time.

Meanwhile, the government earns taxes from the employee as well as any new business generated by his or her efforts.

The employer is not penalized for not having a full-time job available. Generally a full-time job is not developed where there was no job at all. Employers know they start by needing a little more help ... that is a part time employee.

Once that employee shows that his or her efforts actually can pencil out as additional income to the business, then the employer is more willing to hire that person full time. 

In these days of stagnant economy, the rules which we used to govern the past, do not work. 

In the business community and in government, we need to come up with new ideas to solve today’s problems. 

Half Back Employees is one of them.