"Labor Shortages Are Most Pronounced in Retail"
Over Worked - Understaffed & Short 5M Workers

Worker shortages are fueling America’s biggest labor crises
With more than 11 million job openings and only 6 million unemployed workers, employers have struggled for more than a year to hire enough people to fill their ranks. That mismatch has left employees frustrated and burnt out, and is fueling a new round of power struggles on the job.

Widespread labor shortages that have caused deteriorating working conditions. Staffing shortfalls in key industries, such as health care, hospitality and education, have put unprecedented pressure on millions of workers, igniting a wave of labor disputes as well as new efforts to organize nationwide.

The reasons are complex and broad. Early retirements, a massive slowdown in immigration that began during the Trump administration, as well as ongoing child care and elder care challenges combined with covid-related illnesses and deaths have all cut into the number of available workers.

“We have approximately 2.5 million fewer people in the labor force than we were on track to have with pre-pandemic trends.

The stress of working at a job that’s understaffed is playing a big role in workers’ demands, which often revolve around staffing — or lack of it.

Major shortfalls remain, particularly in low-wage industries that have lost workers to higher-paying opportunities in warehousing, construction, and professional and business services.

Worker burnout has become a persistent problem across the economy, though labor economists say it is especially pronounced in industries with acute labor shortages. Many front-line workers in retail, restaurants, education and health care who worked throughout the pandemic — often putting their health and well-being at risk — say their jobs are becoming even tougher as vacancies pile up.

Although employers across the economy say they’re struggling to find and keep workers, labor shortages are most pronounced in retail (where roughly 70 percent of job openings remain unfilled) according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce analysis of Labor Department data.

“When you look at the jobs that are having trouble hiring, it’s the ones with really long hours, inflexible schedules, not great pay and limited benefits,”

In many cases, employers have begun raising wages in hopes of attracting new workers. But while those pay increases may not be going far enough in attracting or keeping workers, economists say they are contributing to inflation. Restaurants, airlines, health-care companies and transportation providers are all charging more, in part, they say, because of rising labor costs.

“It is clear that the tight labor market is leading to wage growth, which is leading to price growth,” “Inflation in services tends to be much more persistent and it’s much harder to bring down."  washingtonpost.com

Editor's Note: Same thing is happening in Canada. The Great Retirement: Canadians Are Retiring Sooner As Workforce Gets Older, Faster