CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a few days, there will be major changes to unemployment benefits in North Carolina.
The $300 benefit federal lawmakers added during the pandemic is set to expire on Saturday and benefits will return to how they were before the pandemic with people being able to receive up to $350 per week for up to 13 weeks per year. The additional $300 benefit ended in June in South Carolina.
Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke checked statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, which showed that the average North Carolinian was bringing in about 72% of their usual paycheck with the extra $300. According to both of the formulas Labor Department officials use, without the $300 benefit, the same person will bring home a little more than 30% of his or her usual pay.
To qualify for unemployment benefits, you must be able to work and actively looking for a job, so if someone is sick with COVID-19 and not able to do either of those, they may not be eligible.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which helped people who were self-employed, is also set to end this weekend.
Stoogenke checked to see what companies are currently hiring. According to the latest information from CareerBuilder, jobs with high vacancies include truck drivers, retail salespeople, customer service, computer specialists, and maintenance and repair workers. There are a lot of jobs available in the fast food industry as well.
On Wednesday, Amazon announced that it will be hiring more than 40,000 corporate and technology roles and tens of thousands of hourly positions. The company will host a free Career Day event on Sept. 15. The livestream event will feature recruiting experts and industry leaders and is open to all job seekers, regardless of experience level, professional field, or background and whether you are interested in working at Amazon or elsewhere. For more information, go to amazoncareerday.com.
(WATCH: Extra weekly $300 included in unemployment benefits to end in SC)
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