Employment shortage in the U.S

By Wendy Martinez

When the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, the effect on the U.S economy was catastrophic. Many experts agreed that the US economy’s decline would have scarring effects for the years to come. In a report from the Peterson Institute for International Economics it is estimated that the United States economy is still short 6.2 million jobs over a year and a half after the pandemic started. Signs outside of supermarkets, restaurants, and other establishments are asking clients to be tolerant of a lack of both employees and merchandise. At the start of the school year many districts lacked bus drivers, not only affecting students’ learning, but many businesses that require employees.

Now, as millions of people are receiving government benefits due to unemployment, many people are discouraged from continuing working. Fear is another main factor for nationwide unemployment. Many workers are scared to become infected by COVID-19 or expose their families to the virus. In order to combat this fear, many businesses and corporations have begun educating their employees on the virus as well as updating their policies.

Recently, the world has begun to open up again. Restaurants, theaters, and many other non essential businesses are now open to the public. As millions of people are still out of work, only time can tell how this ongoing pandemic will fully affect the economy. However, this is all subject to the current uptick in cases that followed the Thanksgiving holiday.