Poll: More Unemployed Finding it Difficult to Cover Basic Expenses

The number of people without a job who said that unemployment insurance does not cover basic expenses soared after benefits from the CARES Act expired in July, according to a Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday.

The number of unemployed people who said their benefits fell short of them paying for basic expenses - including food, clothing, housing and transportation – sharply increased to 50% from 27% in July.

The $600 in extra weekly benefits that Congress passed in March in the CARES Act expired at the end of July, leaving many with significantly lower payments, The Hill reported.

The dispute over the continuation of those benefits remains unresolved, as Republicans argue the $600 was too high in that it discouraged people from returning to work. Democrats contend that the extra pay was unlikely to prevent people from taking jobs due to the record high unemployment and limited job openings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other results from the poll include:

• Unemployed workers are growing more pessimistic about returning to their jobs, as 30% said they do not expect to be brought back by their employers. In the last survey in July, 27% did not expect to return to their previous jobs.
• Those who do manage to find a new job are increasingly finding employment in a new industry. In the latest poll, 55% of those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and have found a new one said it is in a different industry, significantly higher than the 43% who said the same thing in July.

The poll was conducted among some 500 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of 4%-5%

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