Unemployment extended; holiday jobs vanishing

Empty. Hollow. Broke.

That's the status of state's bank account for unemployment benefits.

The Florida Unemployment Trust Fund has hit bottom and has begun borrowing money from Washington on a daily basis, racking up a $293 million debt in the past month alone.

"Currently there are about 665,000 Floridians on unemployment compensation of one form or another," said Robby Cunningham, with the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which oversees unemployment benefits for the state.

Cunningham said recipients can currently collect benefits for a year and half.

At a job fair in Clearwater, unemployed human resources manager Mount Burns said his livelihood depends largely on the $300 per week benefit check.

"It means everything, it really does," he Burns.

Burns said he favors a move in Congress to extend unemployment benefits by another three months.

"I hope so, unless the job market really opens up," he said. "It will mean a lot to the people who are on unemployment."

The House on Tuesday approved a measure to extend benefits for 27 states that have high unemployment. The Senate is expected to follow.

If the measure passes and is signed by President Barack Obama, Florida would not have to cover the cost of the extension because it would be funded by federal dollars.

News of the possible jobless benefits extension came at the same time a business research firm predicted seasonal hiring during the holidays will not help improve the employment picture.

A Hay Group survey found 57 percent of retailer plan to "reduce staffing levels for the 2009 holiday season -- a dramatic shift compared to the only 29 percent that decreased staffing levels last year."

According to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida retailers have cut 140,900 jobs since Christmas 2007. That's enough people to fill every seat in Raymond James Stadium, Tropicana Field, and The St. Pete Times Forum combined.