© 2024 WOSU Public Media
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Is There A Worker Shortage?

Management at the Levi's Distribution Center in Canton, Miss., are upping the ante by using an electronic display board to advertise openings, a bonus and pay scale, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, in northeast Jackson, Miss., near Interstate 55, a heavily traveled highway.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
/
AP
Management at the Levi's Distribution Center in Canton, Miss., are upping the ante by using an electronic display board to advertise openings, a bonus and pay scale, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, in northeast Jackson, Miss., near Interstate 55, a heavily traveled highway.

Expectations of a massive hiring surge in April fell flat, with just 266,000 Americans returning to work. The U.S. workforce is still 8.2 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.

Business leaders and Republicans largely claim pandemic unemployment payments are creating a “labor shortage” and making people less likely to take low-paying fast food and retail jobs.

Today on All Sides with Ann Fisher, we debate the so-called “labor shortage” and the path toward recovery.

Guests:

  • Ioana E. Marinescu, PhD, Assistant Professor & Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research, University of Pennsylvania
  • Michael Shields, Researcher, Policy Matters Ohio
  • Rachel Greszler, Research Fellow in Economics, Budget and Entitlements, The Heritage Foundation

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content request an alternative format.

Stay Connected