New Jersey is offering cash to entice people back to work and help small businesses find the employees they so desperately need. It’s being dubbed “Return and Earn.” The program offers job training and $500 bonuses to unemployed workers reentering the labor market. In exchange, employers can receive up to $10,000 for hiring and training those workers. The sticking point — eligible businesses must be small, with 100 or fewer current employees and offer positions that pay at least $15 an hour.
The pilot program is being funded with federal COVID-19 relief funds. But the Murphy administration says the program could get a more permanent boost if it makes a significant dent in the unemployment rate. There’s been plenty of outcry for the state to get involved in this area. New Jersey Department of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo talks about getting employees back to work.
