Too many jobless workers are falling through the cracks and not receiving the support needed to sustain themselves and their families. Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides critical support for jobless, able-bodied workers, but has not kept pace with changes to the modern workforce. In order to understand how we can best care for jobless workers, we have to know who is not receiving the help they need. Factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, education and industry influence whether or not a worker receives assistance while unemployed. Because the damage done to families when a worker loses their job is immense, we must ensure our support systems are effective.
MBPC is a nonprofit organization focused on providing credible and timely research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues that impact low- and moderate-income Montana families.