By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Employers say they are having a tough time finding help.

The federal government is sweetening unemployment benefits by $300 per week.

There’s disagreement on whether there is a connection, as almost half of the United States have declined the extra money. Illinois, says Gov. JB Pritzker, will not be one of them.

“Slowly but surely, our economy is improving,” the governor said this week. “I don’t want to pull the rug out from under people who certainly have legitimate reasons (such as child care) for remaining on unemployment.”

The next day, State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) said, as we apparently near an end of the pandemic, says employers in his district are frustrated: “They’ve got great jobs available at living wages, and they’ve got little to no applicants.”

McLaughlin says people need to learn the value of hard work, citing his own days with menial jobs such as roofing, leading to being able to pay for college and purchase a 1972 AMC Gremlin.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].