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As summer approaches, labor shortages make seasonal hiring tough

Apr 14, 2023
A tight labor market, plus caps on worker visas, may mean consumers will notice fewer lifeguards at pools and slower service at restaurants.
Public pools, restaurants and resorts are expected to struggle with hiring this summer again.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A labor shortage stands in the way of the clean energy transition

Mar 30, 2023
The Inflation Reduction Act funds a huge green infrastructure buildout. But projects will need to attract and train more electricians.
Mia Clay, along with other high school students, are part of an electrician training program at Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

U.S. labor strikes went up almost 50% between 2021 and 2022

Jan 16, 2023
Cornell University counted almost 400 strikes last year, following decades of declining union membership. Here's why labor action is becoming more common.
New York City nurses reached a deal to raise salaries by about 19% after striking for three days. Above, thousands of nurses from four New York hospitals strike on Jan. 9.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Teaching women and nonbinary folks the art of woodworking

Nov 16, 2022
There aren't enough instructors to keep up with demand at Jess Hirsch's Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis.
Jess Hirsch turns a bowl from a log, the subject of one of the classes they teach at Fireweed Community Woodshop.
Courtesy Studio Zu

Dry cleaner makes the rounds to keep business going

Aug 30, 2022
Hangers Cleaners, a Missouri pickup and delivery service, is trying to find the right employees and stay competitive with pay.
"It feels like a family here, but there are limits as far as what we can pay and still have a viable business," said Joe Runyan, co-owner of Hangers Cleaners.
Courtesy Runyan

Expect the job market to stay tight -- even if the economy heads into a recession

Aug 5, 2022
There's a shortage of workers, thanks to retiring Baby Boomers and declining immigration.
A number of economic factors, including lower-than-normal labor force participation, declining immigration, and  retirements among Baby Boomer-aged workers means that labor shortages may persist well into the future.
Photo by Brad Lee/AFP via Getty Images

Companies still need workers. More teens are getting hired.

Jun 7, 2022
Rising pay appears to be one reason more younger people are working again.
To get through the labor crunch, more businesses are turning to younger workers.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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Labor shortage causes employers to back off drug screenings

Mar 31, 2022
The percentage of American workers testing positive for drugs is at a 20-year high
A large proportion of positive test results are driven by marijuana  positivity, a senior scientist at Quest Diagnostics said.
RapidEye/Getty Images

How much of our labor force has been lost to COVID-19?

Jan 24, 2022
According to one expert, COVID deaths and workers left on the sidelines from long COVID account for 18% of unfilled jobs.
New data show that hourly wages are up by 5.6 percent on average as of March, but employees are demanding more from employers in a strong labor market.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Nursing homes are in critical need of staff

Jan 11, 2022
Some nursing homes say they can't compete for workers, as fast-food places and other retailers have raised wages.
Ashley Rose (left) and Patsy Wilkerson (right) are occupational therapy assistant who work at Knollwood Manor in Lafayette, Tennessee. They joke that they’re also certified nursing assistant assistants because the nursing home is so short on CNAs they end up picking up many of their duties.
Blake Farmer/WPLN