Stay-at-Home Americans Sow White House Angst on Jobs Miss

Portia Roberson says it’s “disheartening.” Employers in Michigan are calling her social services group looking for recruits to fill job openings. But, she adds, federal assistance payments are contributing to depress demand for those opportunities.

“There are some people who are quite honestly, right now at least, with the stimulus package,” preferring to stay at home, Roberson, head of Detroit-based Focus: HOPE, said in an interview. “I think that that will shift when some of that money begins to run out more,” said Roberson, who worked at the Justice Department during the Obama administration.