Only a quarter of the Paycheck Protection Program made it to workers

A recent study shows that money from the relief program was unevenly distributed to affluent households and small business owners.

By Char Daston
Who Benefited The Most From PPP Loans In Illinois?
In this May 21, 2020, file photo, state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, wears a full face shield while on the floor of the Illinois Senate during session at the State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. Oberweis was the GOP nominee for a Chicago-area congressional seat and the chairman of Oberweis Dairy. The dairy received a Paycheck Protection Program loan of between $5 million and $10 million, according to data released by the Treasury Department. Oberweis, who also owns an investment firm, has loaned his congressional campaign against Democrat Rep. Lauren Underwood more than $1.1 million since last year. Justin L. Fowler / The State Journal-Register via AP, Pool, File
Who Benefited The Most From PPP Loans In Illinois?
In this May 21, 2020, file photo, state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, wears a full face shield while on the floor of the Illinois Senate during session at the State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. Oberweis was the GOP nominee for a Chicago-area congressional seat and the chairman of Oberweis Dairy. The dairy received a Paycheck Protection Program loan of between $5 million and $10 million, according to data released by the Treasury Department. Oberweis, who also owns an investment firm, has loaned his congressional campaign against Democrat Rep. Lauren Underwood more than $1.1 million since last year. Justin L. Fowler / The State Journal-Register via AP, Pool, File

Only a quarter of the Paycheck Protection Program made it to workers

A recent study shows that money from the relief program was unevenly distributed to affluent households and small business owners.

By Char Daston
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

The $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program allowed businesses to keep millions of employees on payroll during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. But only a quarter of the program’s funds went directly to workers’ paychecks, according to a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Reset checks in with one of the authors of the report for more details.

GUEST: David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology