The new extra $300 in unemployment benefits means fewer people are applying for jobs once again.

"It doesn't give you much incentive to go back to work,” said Larry Seib, an Evansville man currently on disability after an accident at work. "It should be not enough to make you want to stay at home -- enough to just make you want to go back to work."

And it has made it difficult for job recruiting agencies to retain good employees.

It is a similar scene to 2020 when people received $600 in weekly benefits.

"You have some that were honestly making more money -- you know at home on unemployment -- especially with the $600 benefit,” said Lindsey Daseler, client relationship manager at HireLevel. “So, it wasn't as enticing for them to go back out into the workforce."

Companies are also working extra hard to change policies and put new safety procedures in place to help entice more workers.

"Some are going to a more hybrid type set up,” Daseler said. “Some are even doing more remote."

Recruiters at HireLevel in Evansville hope the $300 benefit will be just enough to help out people in need, but not enough to completely live off of.

"In the long run -- we need to make sure you're set up for your next career, so you are ready to go,” Daseler said.

At the end of December, Congress passed new legislation extending benefits for eleven weeks.

President-elect Joe Biden says he wants to extend them again.