Evening star., 1938-11-29

provided by far the major share Of
the funds for this development.
Already the expansion of employ
ment services in the benefit-paying
States shows definite and measur-
able results. Figures on the num-
ber of persons placed in jobs in
private industry by State employ
ment services during the first six
months Of this year show that the
percentage OF placements was con-
siderably higher in the benefit
paying States than in those not
yet making payments. 1t is evident
that this service helps the unem-
ployed worker find a Job more
quickly than he can unaided, and
that 1t offers the employer a more
accessible and larger labor market.
BY reducing the duration Of un-
employment. the employment serv-
ice also helps to protect the in
dividual workers resources and to
safeguard the State unemployment
compensation fund against undue
drains. Business and the COM
munity as a whole stand to profit
on both scores-in terms OF lowered
cost Of unemployment and in
terms of stabilized employment and
business conditions.
How the Law Works.
But you realize, of course, that
employment service, important as
1t is, IS only part Of the picture
You also want to know about the
man who files a claim but doesn't
get work. Well, this is where the
benefit-paying machinery goes into
action. Each week, for as long as
he is out of work and eligible for
benefits, he reports back to the en-
ployment Office to signify. that he
is still without work and willing
and able to work. II no Job is
found for him within a few weeks,
and he qualities for benefits, he
will get a check each week for the
period prescribed by the State law.
This matter of qualifying for
benefits depends generally on how
much work or wages the individual
has had during the year or two
before he lost his Job. For every
worker who is engaged in an en-
ployment covered by the unemploy-
ment compensation law, the State
agency keeps a record on which is
entered every three months the
amount OF wages he has earned,
as reported by his employers. These
earnings represent the workers
credits toward benefits. They show
whether he has the minimum
amount of earnings necessary to
qualify for benefits. And if he has,
they are like bank balance against
which he may draw the payments
due him.
The eligibility requirements of the
State laws are pretty liberal. In
general a man or woman who has
had at least 8 or 10 full weeks pay
during the year or SO before he lost
his job will be able to qualify. As
suming that the worker qualities, he
receives benefit check every week
equal to about half his usual full
time pay until he exhausts his wage
credits or receives the maximum
number Of payments allowed under
his State law. Most laws provide
for a maximum of three and a half
or four months of benefits in any
one year; and the ratio of benefits
to prior earnings is set so that a
man who has had fairly steady work
for the year or two before he lost his
job will generally be eligible to re-
ceive the maximum allowed under
the State law. The worker who has
had less work and wages can still
receive benefits. but naturally for a
shorter time. The exact amount of
benefits a man is allowed for each
dollar of prior wages is expressed as
a mathematical formula in each
State law. Since this formula differs
from State to State, I shall not try
to go into details. Those of you who
are directly affected by this pro-
gram-particularly those who live
in one of the 20 States where bene-
fits are soon to begin-should 60 to