Unemployment benefits will end sooner than expected for 100,000 Wisconsinites. At first, it was announced told they would run out at the end of April. But Monday, state workforce development spokesman John Dipko said thousands of people are in federal extensions that will run out on February 28th.
About a quarter-million Wisconsinites are now getting jobless benefits and the ending dates for those benefits depend on the types of programs they’re in, and how long they’ve been getting payments. Wisconsin is limited to 93 weeks of unemployment pay. The state lost its eligibility for longer benefits, after the average jobless rate for the last three months dropped below 8.5 percent. It’s now at 8.3. Governor Jim Doyle and 30 Democratic legislators have urged Congress to extend the benefits.
Bob Borremans of the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board says there are not enough jobs in places like Rock County where the General Motors plant in Janesville and related suppliers closed just over a year ago.
