Corbacho garantiza las prestaciones aunque el Inem cerrará 2009 con déficit

El ministro de Trabajo e Inmigración, Celestino Corbacho, ha avanzado que las arcas del Servicio Público de Empleo (antiguo Inem) cerrarán el ejercicio de 2009 con déficit, lo que consideró necesario para garantizar que más del 70% de los desempleados puedan cobrar la prestación por desempleo.

En una entrevista emitida ayer por Rac 1 y recogida por Europa Press, Corbacho sostuvo que el Estado, mediante los Presupuestos, debe garantizar que nadie que pierda el empleo se quede sin esta prestación, "independientemente de lo que esté presupuestado en el servicio de empleo público".

El titular de Trabajo aseguró que sería "razonable" recuperar este año los puestos de trabajo perdidos durante 2008 para evitar que la tasa de paro siga creciendo. En este sentido, recordó que los 8.000 millones de euros de inversión a partir de marzo en pueblos y ciudades españolas generará unos 300.000 empleos.

The Great Recession has forced states to borrow $41 billion from a federal fund to cover unemployment checks for their jobless residents.

Now the bill is coming due.

Some 31 states will have to shell out an estimated $1.4 billion in interest payments on these loans next year. They had been spared this expense because of an obscure provision of the 2009 Recovery Act that expires on Dec. 31.

Jobless benefits cost so far: $319 billion

Here's how states got in this situation:

States use taxes from employers to pay 26 weeks of jobless claims. But the tax revenue hasn't kept up with the huge spike in unemployment, forcing many states to borrow from the federal unemployment trust fund.

To pay the federal fund back, states have been raising taxes on companies. Two dozen states hiked such levies in 2010 and more are looking to do so again in 2011.

During the 1980s recession, states only took out $28 billion, on an inflation-adjusted basis. And the problem will only get worse. The U.S. Labor Department estimates borrowing could grow to $65 billion by fiscal 2013 and some 35 states could be in the hole.

How states will pay the bill
States are girding for the looming interest bills.

Texas plans to issue up to $2 billion in bonds to wipe out its $1.5 billion loan before it must make an interest payment.