A growing number of small businesses are planning to open their doors in new places as the government boosts its food stamp program.
As the number of people receiving food stamps has more than doubled over the past two years, more and more businesses are looking to expand their business to attract and retain new workers, especially as the recession continues.
In fact, a large number of new businesses are being planned in the coming weeks to open for business, according to a report by The Hill.
The number of businesses opening in new locations in recent months, as measured by job openings and openings for new employees, rose to 3,600 from 1,900 in January, according a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The trend is driven in part by a sharp uptick in the number and number of food stamp applications that are being received, according the report.
In January, there were 2,000 food stamp recipients and another 1,000 new job applicants, the report found.
The report found that a significant number of the new businesses will be focused on providing food assistance to workers and the unemployed.
“We think that food stamp is a critical tool for creating job creation and that food stamps provide a lifeline for people to stay in the workforce and to find new work,” said David Wohl, senior director of the Center’s Center on Workforce Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“The food stamp industry has historically been relatively small, but the economy is growing faster than the workforce participation rate, and the unemployment rate is lower.”
The number one concern for businesses is that people who are applying for food stamps will not have access to the benefits that they need, Wohl said.
In addition, the job market is currently stagnant, so there are many more jobs than people are willing to work for, he added.
In an interview with CNBC, one of the companies participating in the plan, The Green Door Bakery, said that they’re expecting to open its first restaurant in an upcoming area in New York City.
“People need to know that they can get food stamps,” said Green Door owner John O’Brien.
“And the Green Door team is here to help us with that.”
While the number is still low compared to what it was in 2013, O’Malley noted that it is growing.
“It’s not like we’re in an all-time high.
We’re still at the same number of applicants, but it’s starting to rise again,” O’Brian said.
“We have over 10,000 people applying to work in our business, so we’re still a long way from where we were in 2013.”
But O’Brien said that he’s hopeful that the program will continue to expand.
“I’m excited that our business is growing,” O,Brien said.