In order to get more people back into the labor force, Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently proposed the idea of paying people who go back to work. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at Poverty Solutions, explained that unemployment benefits aren't the only reason Michigan is having trouble finding workers.
"There is job mismatch out there. So if you previously worked in one position, in one sector and the opportunities are in a different one, you aren’t necessarily going to those jobs," Cooney said. "There is wage mismatch. A lot of people are looking for a similar or better wage than they had when they exited the labor market. Child care concerns continue to be an issue for many working families.”