At least 12 Republican-led states have announced they are terminating their involvement in federal pandemic-related unemployment programs early.

Driving the news: Many of the states' governors cited worker shortages. But some experts say it's the job climate, including pandemic-era factors, and not unemployment benefits that is determining when and how people return to work.

• The federal assistance programs, which include extra $300-a-week payments, are set to expire on Sept. 6.
• The pandemic-era programs also offer unemployment to those typically ineligible, including gig workers.

The states that have announced an end to the federal COVID-related benefits include:

• Alabama, effective June 19
• Arkansas, effective June 26
• Idaho, effective June 19
• Iowa, effective June 12
• Mississippi, effective June 12
• Missouri, effective June 12
• Montana, effective June 27
• The state will instead offer one-time $1,200 return-to-work bonuses to workers who accept jobs and complete a month of paid work.
• North Dakota, effective June 19
• South Carolina, effective June 30
• South Dakota, effective June 26
• Tennessee, effective July 3
• Utah, effective June 26
• Wyoming, effective June 19

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Courtenay Brown: The floodgates are open. While policymakers and economists spar over whether generous jobless benefits are keeping would-be workers at home, more and more states are moving ahead to cut them off.

Go deeper:States enter the unemployment fray