WaPo: ““People left the labor market in droves during the pandemic and they’re not coming back,” said economist Marianne Wanamaker, a University of Tennessee professor, noting that the country’s labor force participation rate has been stagnant at 61 percent. “We are way behind the predicted employment recovery.”
One muggy day on Main Street in Memphis, the recovery pains were evident: In a corner coffee shop, the owner struggled to find workers to cover shifts and has lost thousands of dollars in work for his other business — a limousine service — because he can’t afford to hire additional drivers and a dispatcher. The owner of the deli has pressed family members into helping keep the place open. And a sign hanging in the window of a darkened Subway sandwich shop read: “Due to a shortage of employees, we are temporarily closed for a week. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“I’m begging, honestly,” said Farhat Othmani, the coffee shop owner, about his search for employees. He’s even tried to persuade some of his regular customers to take a spin as a barista, promising “Cash tips daily!” and “Set Weekly Schedule!” on a sign outside.
At the start of the pandemic in February last year, Tennessee had an estimated 3.2 million workers in non-farm jobs. That number plummeted drastically during the first few months of the pandemic, with 380,000 fewer people working. By this June, 64,000 workers still hadn’t returned to a job, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.”