New York Times: "The Economic Rebound Is Still Waiting for Workers"

"Fall was meant to mark the beginning of the end of the labor shortage that has held back the nation’s economic recovery. Expanded unemployment benefits were ending. Schools were reopening, freeing up many caregivers. Surely, economists and business owners reasoned, a flood of workers would follow.

Instead, the labor force shrank in September. There are five million fewer people working than before the pandemic began, and three million fewer even looking for work.

The slow return of workers is causing headaches for the Biden administration, which was counting on a strong economic rebound to give momentum to its political agenda. Forecasters were largely blindsided by the problem and don’t know how long it will last."

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/business/economy/us-economy.html

Danielle Miess lost her job at a travel agency in the Philadelphia area. Her unemployment benefits have run out, but she isn’t looking for another office job. Instead, she is cobbling together a living from a variety of gigs.Credit...Kriston Jae Bethel for The New York Times