extending unemployment makes sense but at the low end of the job market, maybe not
I would love to know how often that is really a problem. But I have heard the same thing from two local business men. Both where looking for somebody to fill a relatively bad job and the people they where talking to where saying call me back when my unemployment runs out.
In some cases there is a good reason for it, one thing that made the news in PA was people getting hosed by taking lower paying jobs and then having those jobs cut also. Their unemployment was recalculated based on their more recent job and reduced, leaving them worse off for having taken the job. I know that was a factor in my thinking when I was unemployed for a long time. In the first half of my unemployment, I didn't go near any low paying jobs for fear that they might offer me a job I didn't really want.
I think a gradual reduction over time is the way to go really. Start at a higher rate to give people a chance to pay off what they can and then reduce it every 3 months. That way it could last longer but people would be motivated to take bad jobs sooner.
Jay