Washington (AFP)

The unemployed Americans see the month of August coming with anguish: the temporary increase in their allowance is coming to an end, in a disaster-stricken labor market and in the midst of the contaminations rebound. They are now hoping that Congress and the Trump administration will quickly agree to extend this measure.

Since April, an additional 600 dollars have been paid each week to recipients of unemployment benefit.

Almost four months and legions of layoffs later, 32 million people are benefiting, and have thus "been able to pay their bills, pay their loan repayments, pay their rent, be able to buy food," AFP told AFP Gary Burtless, Economist at the Brookings Institution.

But the measure is due to end on July 31, which "could derail the recovery", according to a note from analysts at Oxford Economics, who estimate that "extending this measure until the end of 2020 could save a million jobs" .

In the absence of an extension of the measure, the income of families would be at least halved, according to their calculations, and much more in some states.

In the United States, the amount and duration of unemployment benefit depend on each of the 50 states. Residents of Maryland can benefit from it for six months, those of Georgia or Nevada must be satisfied with three months.

And the amount varies from 235 dollars (205 euros) per week in Mississippi, to 823 dollars (720 euros) in Massachusetts.

- Until the end of December? -

That $ 600 saved many Americans with low wages from falling into poverty. And for the American economy to continue to operate its main engine: consumption.

Many families, especially with low incomes, were able to "continue to spend money (...) with companies which can thus retain their employees," said Gary Burtless.

Government aid has been used mostly to buy food, but also to pay the bills, according to data from the Bureau of Statistics (Census).

Discussions promise to be stormy in Congress, with the November presidential election in sight. President Donald Trump received Democratic and Republican officials on Monday, according to the Washington Post.

Opponents fear that the extension of this aid for the unemployed will discourage them from looking for a job, as many beneficiaries are currently receiving more money than when they were working.

Companies say they have difficulty filling certain positions, according to a report by the US Federal Reserve (Fed).

"If the amount of the allowance is too high, some people will be reluctant to look for a job," says Gary Burtless.

But "at the moment, there are many, many more people desperate not to find a job, than jobs desperate not to find workers to fill them", he notes.

He is counting on Congress adopting an extension of the measure until the end of December, "maybe not $ 600 a week, but $ 200, $ 150".

- New cases -

Diana Yitbarek, 44, has been unemployed since April, but is unable to collect her allowance because she has lost the password to access her account.

"Every time I call, I get on the answering machine. I wait seven hours, eight hours, sometimes more. It's been almost three months and I'm about to give up," she told the 'AFP.

"I struggle to pay the bills and (...) it's hard to find a job because everything is closed," she explains.

In Washington, where she lives, unemployment offices are closed to the public. Elsewhere in the country, where some agencies are open, local media show huge queues, dozens of people staying overnight to be received.

After sometimes premature reopening, and an explosion of contamination, part of the country has had to close new shops, restaurants and businesses, raising fears of a new wave of layoffs.

The increase in unemployment benefit "(ends) at the end of July, when cases explode and businesses close again (...). There are people who wonder where / how they will find their next meal" , laments on Twitter @ emma7770.

© 2020 AFP