Georgia’s labor commissioner Mark Butler told Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray that he stands by the decision to end the benefits.

He said it was the right step but also acknowledges that Georgia businesses are in a very difficult spot trying to find employees.

A new study looking at data from small businesses found essentially no difference in overall hiring numbers between states that ended the benefits like Georgia and those still paying.

Iberian Pig owner Federico Castellucci says he can’t hire enough employees.

“It’s absolutely brutal,” Castellucci said. “We’ve been desperately trying to get customers in our dining room for the past 15 months and now that we have the customers, we are actually taking tables back out again.”