Editorial Roundup: Iowa
Des Moines Register. May 6, 2021.
Editorial: Iowa doesn’t have a labor shortage. It has a people shortage
The next time you’re walking into a restaurant or grocery store, or pretty much any business, pause to look at the door. Near the sign about wearing a face mask, you’ll probably see a “help wanted” sign.
They’re everywhere.
Most Iowans already are working. We just need more Iowans.
What happens when workers can’t be found?
You wait 90 minutes for a meal at a restaurant. The telephone at the tree nursery goes unanswered. You stand in longer lines at the checkout. No one is available to help you select the right eyeglasses, cat food, tennis shoes or bicycle. The delivery of materials to build your new deck takes five weeks.
Editorial: Iowa doesn t have a labor shortage. It has a people shortage.
Editorial: The vast majority of working-age residents already have jobs, and our unemployment rate is low. There are not enough people to hire. State leaders must do more to attract newcomers.
The Register s editorial
Correction: This editorial should have said that Iowa s labor force participation rate ranked 11th in the country among states, according to March Bureau of Labor Statistics data. A quotation in the editorial included an incorrect ranking; the quotation has been removed and the editorial revised to correct the error.
The next time you’re walking into a restaurant or grocery store, or pretty much any business, pause to look at the door. Near the sign about wearing a face mask, you’ll probably see a “help wanted” sign.
West Des Moines Steak n Shake restaurant temporarily closed Share Updated: 6:16 PM CDT Apr 22, 2021
West Des Moines Steak n Shake restaurant temporarily closed Share Updated: 6:16 PM CDT Apr 22, 2021
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Show Transcript WE WILL KEEP A GUSTY BREEZE. STACEY: FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JANUARY, THERE ARE NO LINES AT STEAK ’N SHAKE IN WEST DES MOINES. THE POPULAR FAST FOOD CHAIN IS CLOSED. MARCUS MCINTOSH IS THERE LIVE WITH WIN ESTATE STEAK ’N SHAKE WILL REOPEN. MARCUS: OFF-CAMERA WE SPOKE WITH THE OWNER WHO TELLS US THAT STEAK ’N SHAKE HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE TUESDAY, WHICH COMES AS A SURPRISE TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE STILL COMING HERE TRYING TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT. THIS IS WHAT THE LINE LOOKED LIKE WHEN IT OPENED IN JANUARY. THURSDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THE LINE WAS NONEXISTENT, HUNGRY CUSTOMERS THOUGHT THEY GOT LUCKY. I REALLY NEED A FRISCO MELT. MARCUS: WHEN LEAH RIED ARRIVED, THE SIGNS WERE UNMISTAKABLE. SHE IS NOT SURPRISED THAT THE