by Kandice Williams & Grace Corey

Living in a world that is navigating the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic, many changes have occurred around us. From enduring education shifts to political outbursts, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on chaotic aftermath. However, the biggest factor has been the detrimental effects on jobs and careers across the world. Pay rates are higher than ever, and the demand for workers is alarming. The COVID-19 pandemic birthed an even bigger problem: a decline in America’s staffing.

A USA Today article published last year states that Starbucks employees' wages could be bumped up to an average of $17 an hour by summer. Last February, the minimum wage in Missouri was $10.30. As of January 1, the minimum wage is now $11.15. This is an eighty-five cent jump in a little less than a year.

Many companies and employers are raising their wages in order to gain employees. In a form sent to the MVHS student body, eight out of ten respondents said they were paid over minimum wage.