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Lessons learned from the PPP process
The Paycheck Protection Program, which allowed for more than 8 million small businesses to receive $780 billion in aid during the pandemic, ran out...
NFIB eyeing solutions to growing labor shortages
With a growing number of businesses frustrated over the labor shortages that are hampering their ability to rebound in the wake of the COVID-19...
Louisiana’s weekly initial unemployment claims drop by 4.6%
Last week, 6,783 initial unemployment insurance claims were filed in Louisiana—a roughly 4.6% drop from the week before, according to figures released today by...
US Chamber of Commerce calls for ending $300 federal unemployment bonus
The disappointing April jobs report prompted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to call for an end to the $300 federal bonus in weekly...
Is outdoor dining here to stay in Baton Rouge?
As they were planning their new restaurant, SoLou, which opened on Perkins Road in mid-March, partners Peter Sclafani, Kiva Guidroz and Michael Boudreaux made...
Many businesses planning to keep retention strategies launched during pandemic
During the depths of the pandemic, business owners had to get creative about keeping their best employees—especially moms, who were more likely to have...
Landlords to retail tenants: It’s time to pay your rent
After granting their struggling retail tenants leeway with rent payments for much of 2020, Baton Rouge landlords have largely decided it’s time to drop the hammer.
PPP money runs out weeks before program’s scheduled end
Four weeks before its scheduled end, the federal government’s signature aid effort for small businesses ravaged by the pandemic—the Paycheck Protection Program—ran out of...
US initial jobless claims fall to lowest level in 14 months
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 498,000, the lowest point since the viral pandemic struck 14 months ago and...
Survey: 85% of small business across US fully open in March
Kabbage, an American Express Company that provides payment solutions for businesses, today released the second installment of its Small Business Recovery Report tracking U.S....
What will employees wear in the post-pandemic office?
As the global pandemic kept people out of the office—and mostly in their homes—pajamas and athleisure wear have become the new slacks and button-downs....
Restaurant Revitalization Fund applications open at 11 a.m.
The U.S. Small Business Administration will open online applications for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund at 11 a.m. today.
The $29 billion program, part of the...
Audit: LWC sent $6.2M in unemployment funds to incarcerated individuals
The Louisiana Workforce Commission sent $6.2 million in state and federal unemployment insurance payments to people who are incarcerated and not eligible for the...
Louisiana lawmakers back bill striking at mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations
Louisiana lawmakers started advancing a proposal today taking aim at the concept of mandatory coronavirus vaccines or a “vaccine passport” proving immunization, though state...
Employers starting to mandate shots before hiring candidates
As the U.S. job market heats up, positions operating machines in Louisville, working in offices in Houston and waiting on diners in Manhattan now...
Recovery largely bypassing those without college degrees
Hiring has rebounded quickly for Americans with college degrees, but people with only a high school diploma or less remain deep in crisis mode,...
Self-employed would get a bigger slice of remaining PPP under new bill
With just over $50 billion still available in the Paycheck Protection Program, Senate lawmakers this week introduced a new bill that would make good...
Survey: 74% of Louisiana small business owners expect to exhaust PPP by summer
Nearly three-quarters of Louisiana small business owners expect to exhaust their second round of Paycheck Protection Program funding by the end of June, according...
Glitches derail SBA relief program for live venues
An online application portal meant to help the nation’s music and arts venues get federal pandemic relief after a year-plus of dark stages and...
Fraught relationship persists between restaurants, delivery companies
Diners got used to delivery during the pandemic, and the habit may stick around for the foreseeable future. But restaurants and delivery companies remain uneasy partners, haggling over fees and struggling to make the service profitable for each other, the Associated Press reports.
