If so many people seem to be looking for work, why are so many employers struggling to find employees?
The labor shortage is hobbling the economic recovery. Coffee shops and restaurants have cut back their hours of operation because they are short-staffed and are offering cash bonuses to entice applicants. Bus drivers are in such short supply that some school districts canceled routes just days before classes started this fall. Long-term care facilities are turning away residents because they don’t have enough nursing assistants.
Extended unemployment benefits are often cited as the reason for the difficulty in hiring. But is that really the problem? Many people who lost or left jobs during the pandemic are reassessing their work lives. Some are seeking higher wages, and others struggle to find child care and or are simply reluctant to take jobs that may expose them to COVID-19 or cranky members of the public.
Monday at 9 a.m., MPR News host Angela Davis talks with MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell and hospitality industry leaders about the impact of the labor shortage and why workers are so hard to find.
We want to hear from our listeners: Did you work in the service industry and then leave? Why? And, if you run a business, how is the labor shortage affecting you? What are you doing differently to find and keep employees? Call us at 651-227-6000 or tweet @AngelaDavisMPR.
Guests::
Chris Farrell is MPR’s senior economics contributor
Ann Rammer is the president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota
JJ Haywood is the president and CEO of Pizza Lucé, which has eight locations in the Twin Cities and one in Duluth