How some states are trying to get people back to work: Giving new hires bonuses of up to $1,200

Connecticut, Oklahoma and Montana are dangling an offer to persuade jobless workers collecting enhanced unemployment benefits during the pandemic to get back to work pronto: Cash bonuses for people who return to full-time jobs. 

Connecticut said on Monday it would award $1,000 to 10,000 jobless workers who find full-time work and hold the job for at least eight weeks. Oklahoma, meanwhile, said on Monday it would provide $1,200 bonuses to the first 20,000 currently jobless workers who find full-time jobs and hold them for at least six weeks. Montana earlier this month announced a similar initiative that will provide a $1,200 bonus to people who go back to work for at least four weeks. The efforts come amid a wider debate over the job market as the U.S. economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants and other businesses that are now reopening say they are struggling to find workers to fill their open roles, while some conservative lawmakers have pointed to April's disappointing jobs numbers as evidence that the extra $300 per-week jobless aid to help people get through the pandemic recession is keeping workers on the sidelines.