KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of Missourians will lose hundreds of dollars in unemployment benefits beginning June 12.

“Despite our economy’s strong comeback. Many business owners across the state are still struggling, not because of COVID-19, but  because they can’t find people to fill the jobs,” Governor Mike Parson said Tuesday.

The governor said there are more than 221,000 job openings across the state. But businesses have been struggling to fill them.

“We are actively seeking for all of our locations. Kitchen employees right now are one of our strongest and most important needs,” Third Street Social manager Tyler Banker said.

So Summit Restaurant Group are offering hiring bonuses of up to $500. Dave Templeman understands the Parson’s reasoning.

“There’s definitely people who are looking at the amount of money coming into their bank account saying if I go back to work it’s going to be less than this,” he said.

But as a career counselor who works with the unemployed he also knows their struggles. Some are parents home schooling their kids in the pandemic, others are people who don’t feel safe  in busy businesses right now.

“The federal unemployment dollars that have been flowing into Missouri have saved a lot of families for sure and it continues to help people, there are people who still need that money,” Templeman said.

That extra $300 was set to run through September 6th, but now will expire June 12. That means the move will cost most unemployed workers approximately $3600 during the time period.

Missouri Jobs with Justice blasted the move today saying, “Ending the assistance, which has kept thousands of Missouri families afloat, would punish Missouri families who are already suffering through an economic downturn.”