Top Wisconsin Republican Robin Vos says state should do more to address no-show unemployment applicants

MADISON - Assembly Speaker Robin Vos suggested Wednesday the state should tighten unemployment rules by cracking down on those who look for work to receive unemployment benefits but then fail to show up for job interviews. 

Vos, a Republican from Rochester, told business owners during a Wednesday event hosted by the state's largest chamber of commerce that Wisconsin could do more to withhold benefits from people who bypass the state's requirement to look for jobs. 

“It seems like in Wisconsin we do not do a very good job of, number one, making it easy for an employer to report a no-show for an interview and then doing anything about it,” Vos said during a roundtable discussion on worker shortages at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce in Madison. 

"That is an area where Wisconsin needs to do a lot better," Vos said.

Scott Mayer of QPS Employment alleged the state Department of Workforce Development workers are avoiding addressing the issue. 

"We don't have a bad reporting system in Wisconsin. We have the adjudicators that are looking the other way, saying, 'I'm still gonna give you that unemployment even though you didn't show up for the job,'" he said. 

A spokesman with the DWD said there is no requirement for employers to report no-shows. If an employer does report a job refusal, DWD staff request additional information from the claimant and employer. The DWD then adjudicates the issue and determines whether benefits should be denied, which the claimant can appeal.

The event featured Wisconsin business owners who are asking lawmakers to eliminate the state's participation in federal programs that provide the jobless with an additional $300 per week in benefits during the pandemic, which Vos and others have proposed to do.

"We understand that we needed it a year ago. We don't need it now," WMC President and CEO Kurt Bauer said. 

At a news conference Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers argued that a workforce shortage existed before the pandemic and he had not seen any data to prove the extra pandemic benefits were contributing to shortages now.

“It’s an issue I have seen no data on — none whatsoever,” Evers said. “In addition, we had trouble finding people to come to work before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after the pandemic so I think this is an issue around making sure we have the best quality of life in the state of Wisconsin so we actually encourage people to move here — I think those are things we need to take a look at. But I am concerned we are seeking a solution to a problem that may not exist.”

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin at the same event said she has seen "very little" to conclude that the extra benefits are a leading factor in the shortage. 

But business leaders from around the state said at the event that a shortage that existed before the pandemic has turned into a crisis. Vos said employees have jumped at signing bonuses like gift cards, but that it's not sustainable in the long term.