MADISON, WI – Rep. Plumer released the following statement after today’s Assembly floor session to address the workforce shortage in Wisconsin:
“On April 4th, the residents of Wisconsin voted overwhelmingly in support of work-search requirements for able-bodied childless adults to receive taxpayer funded welfare. Businesses across the district and state are starving for individuals to fill open jobs. We cannot afford to have folks sitting on the sidelines while the rest of us foot the bill. Today in the Assembly, we passed a package of bills to address this critical issue, including AB 149, which I authored.
“My bill creates a process for employers to report instances in which an individual “ghosts” their interview or job offer, or a former employee is not available to return to work. In the immediate aftermath of Governor Evers shutting down our state, Wisconsin saw an increased volume of
work searches, with many people looking for new jobs after closures and lay-offs. Along with this uptick in work searches, we unfortunately saw an increase of “ghosting”, a practice in which an employer contacts a prospective employee for an interview or job, only to have that individual not reply or not show up. This makes it extremely difficult for employers to find capable workers and wastes business’ valuable time and resources.
“DWD would be required to investigate each claim to determine whether or not it has merit. If a report is found to be credible, an individual would be ineligible for unemployment benefits for the given week. The bill would not penalize the first such verified claim.”
