Is it true that "State withdrawals from pandemic-era unemployment programs aren’t speeding up the job recovery?"

See States cutting unemployment benefits didn’t get people back to work, study finds by Greg Iacurci of CNBC. Excerpts:

"State withdrawals from pandemic-era unemployment programs aren’t speeding up the job recovery, according to a new analysis."

"Census Bureau data suggests recipients didn’t rush to find jobs in the weeks following the first batch of state withdrawals"

"Big deviations from economists’ projections the last few months hint the labor market isn’t functioning the way it did pre-pandemic, according to Stan Veuger, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank."

"Expanded unemployment benefits likely led at least some people to stay home instead of look for work, he said.

But many other effects likely play a role as well, said Veuger. He cited that Covid health risks remain; school schedules may make it difficult for parents to find steady work; workers who relocated may not yet have moved back; and decimated industries will likely a take a while to rebuild."

"there are a few reasons to wait for more data before drawing conclusions about state unemployment policies, Veuger said.

For example, Dube’s analysis doesn’t control for differences in each state’s job market. The states that ended federal benefits early also tend to be the ones that re-opened from Covid lockdowns early; therefore, job-finding may be lower relative to other states if some of the more easily restored jobs have already been taken, Veuger said."