It’s The AAF Exchange — your source for clear, data-driven insight into today’s economic and domestic policy issues.

Our latest episode features AAF’s Labor Market Policy Data Analyst Isabel Soto discussing the efforts by the federal and state governments to support the labor force. As states are reopening their economies, Soto explains the challenges posed by the federal unemployment-insurance benefit and how states are providing incentives for individuals to return to work. She also assesses potential programs to help curb the number of layoffs, and she considers options for hazard pay — as well as whether that should be the government’s focus at all.

Soto’s research mentioned in today’s podcast:

• Soto analyzed unemployment benefit incentives for each state in “State Unemployment Benefits and Returning to Work,” and found that even if the federal supplement is reduced to $100 a week, 25 percent of the U.S. workforce could still make more on unemployment than working.
• She examined unemployment benefit incentives in “Unemployment Benefits and Returning to Work,” and found the maximum unemployment benefit is now greater than the median wage in the majority of states.
• She surveyed the current proposals for hazard pay and assessed their potential costs in “Hazard Pay During COVID-19.”

Make sure to follow AAF’s dashboard, COVID-19: Impact and Response, where you can find AAF experts’ up-to-date analysis of the government’s proposals and actions on the pandemic.

Whether you’re working from home or taking a walk, The AAF Exchange will keep you up to speed on today’s most pressing policy issues.