Fears over post-pandemic job shortage likely overstated, but complicate Biden s relief deals In just numbers, there are not enough job openings to go around right now period,” said the Economic Policy Institute’s Heidi Shierholz, former DOL chief economist.
People wait in line for help with unemployment benefits at the One-Stop Career Center in Las Vegas. | John Locher/AP Photo
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Businesses and the White House in recent weeks have warned that they are combating a labor shortage despite the millions laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic, creating potential political friction for President Joe Biden as he pushes Congress to advance his trillion-dollar spending proposals to gas up the economy.
Many job seekers don’t know where to look after the year we’ve just had. If you count yourself among this crowd, here’s how to get back into the market, even if you’re feeling rusty.
How to Get Back Into the Job Market nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The New York Times reported on four reasons that might account for that disconnect.
These include jobless benefits disincentivizing people to work and pandemic health concerns.
The pandemic cost millions of Americans their jobs, and while the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 9.7 million of them are actively seeking work, businesses are reporting significant labor shortages.
Weekly jobless claims are at a pandemic-era low just this past Thursday, but businesses, particularly in the restaurant and service industries, are still struggling to hire. The American Restaurant Association has found that staffing at full-service restaurants remains down 20%, or 1.1 million openings, from the year-ago level, but staffing is even down at firms that want to rehire workers.
Signs of Labor Market Recovery Slowly Emerge
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