Wyoming Legislature could pursue short-term compensation plan
The Wyoming Legislature will likely take up a bill in the next few months that would allow workers whose hours have been reduced to receive some unemployment benefits for up to one year.
If passed, the legislation would set up something commonly known as a short-term compensation, or “worksharing,” program, opening up unemployment benefits to workers still on payroll while allowing small business owners to cut employee hours in an effort to save costs.
While common in many states, such a program has never existed in Wyoming. However, provisions in the federal coronavirus relief bill included an appropriation to help states stand up a program while backfilling 100 percent of the funding for those programs.
