ICYMI: Gov Gianforte Takes a Victory Lap for a Program that was only 13% successful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 3, 2022
CONTACT
press@montanademocrats.org
ICYMI: Gov Gianforte Takes a Victory Lap for a Program that was only 13% successful
Helena, MT – In a press release on Wednesday, Gov. Gianforte’s administration celebrated the “success” of his administration’s Return To Work program. What the release fails to mention, however, is that while the bonus was offered to 24,000 Montanans, only 3,054 Montanans actually signed up for Gianforte’s Return to Work Program, according to the Department of Labor and Industry’s full report. This represents a success rate of 12.7%.
The program was allocated $15 million, and only gave out $3.6 million. Less than 25% of all eligible funds were actually awarded to Montanans who returned to work.
The Return-to-Work bonuses – the Gianforte Administration’s policy ‘solution’ to workforce shortage – effectively ignored the real barriers to workforce entry, like the lack of child-care.
One of the most significant hurdles to getting Montana back to work is lack of child care. A Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) study found that 57% of Montanans say finding child care is a “struggle;” 22% turned down a job offer, 15% went from full-time to part-time and 12% quit their jobs. Licensed child care can only meet roughly 45% of demand. Governor Gianforte is currently sitting on $100 million in child care stabilization funding.
“It is puzzling that the administration is celebrating a 13% success rate,” says Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Small businesses across the state continue to be hobbled by workforce shortages and lack of child care. I would certainly not call that a success.”
###