Economist: Scott’s team misread his report

The problem with unemployment is not overly generous benefits, but the lack of jobs, according to Princeton University Prof. Alan Krueger. Gov-elect Rick Scott’s transition team misused and misinterpreted Kruegar’s studies to support the popular GOP Right Wing myth that the unemployed are lazy people who rather collect unemployment checks than work.

The Sun-Sentinel reports: Citing Krueger, the transition team report indicated that many laid-off workers spend little time looking for a new job. Krueger said his research actually found that, on average, unemployed people twice the amount of time daily looking for work that the Scott team reported.

The primary problem today, Krueger said, “is a lack of demand for workers, not lack of search effort.”

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Author: Rick Outzen

Rick Outzen is the publisher/owner of Pensacola Inweekly. He has been profiled in The New York Times and featured in several True Crime documentaries. Rick also is the author of the award-winning Walker Holmes thrillers. His latest nonfiction book is “Right Idea, Right Time: The Fight for Pensacola’s Maritime Park.”