The Oklahoman governor on Monday, May 17, signed an executive order establishing the Return to Work Incentive, which encourages people to look for work rather than rely on unemployment benefits, according to The Oklahoman.

The first 20,000 people who qualify and apply for the program will earn $1,200 after six weeks on a new job. 

With this move, the state of Oklahoma is joining several red states who are ending their pandemic-related unemployment relief, including Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Montana.

"Our challenge is not to get businesses back open; we've done that. It's been getting employees back to work," Stitt said. "Without a doubt, one of the factors causing this has been the continued extension of extra federal benefits."

Back to work:  COVID-19 federal benefits shutdown

Oklahoma would now stop dispensing all additional federal unemployment benefits that were put in place last year when the COVID-19 pandemic caused record levels of unemployment. Included is the following:

The $300-per-week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) supplemented into other unemployment benefits.