Members of a statewide landscaping association have said that job applicants in Michigan are turning down job offers to stay on the public dole.

Members have told her "they have a lot of people applying (for jobs) but ... it turns out that they're on unemployment and not looking for work," said Amy Frankmann, executive director of the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association.

The average landscape employee could expect $12 per hour, which means after state and federal taxes are taken out, not counting transportation costs, they make $95 more per week working than collecting benefit checks, based on a weekly check of $255, the Detroit News reported on Monday.

The News further said that one applicant turned down a job, audaciously asking the employer to call him when his benefits ran out.

Benefits would be cut if officials learned the beneficiary had turned down a reasonable job offer.

David Littmann, senior economist at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy said that benefits are now, "the most generous safety net we've ever provided nationally."

State benefits run out after 26 weeks, after which federal benefits kick in, extending jobless pay to a total of 99 weeks. (With Inputs from Agencies)