States Plan Jobless Aid Cuts as Employers Plead for Hires (1)

Federal jobless benefits for gig workers and the extra $300 a week in unemployment aid will end earlier than scheduled in Arkansas, Montana, and South Carolina—possible signs of what’s to come as governors respond to employers’ complaints that they can’t hire enough workers.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) announced Friday his state would stop participating in the enhanced federal jobless benefits by the end of June, following similar moves this week by the Republican governors of Montana and South Carolina.

The governors opted to end the benefits three months earlier than their expiration under the latest federal pandemic relief legislation. ...