Category: labor shortage

Towns Around Massachusetts Paying Snowplow Drivers up to $310 an Hour Amid Labor Shortage

Towns around Massachusetts are offering up to $130 an hour for drivers with a commercial license amid a labor shortage. According to a “request for response from interested vendors 2021–2022” legal notice, Watertown is paying up to $200 for plow drivers with a commercial license, and the rates increase to $310 for those with specialized equipment, specifically a rubber-tired…


Hiring Difficulties May Be on Horizon as US Labor Force Participation Rate Remains Unchanged

Hiring difficulties may be on the horizon for U.S. firms amid a weak labor supply, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s latest jobs report. The bureau’s October jobs report, released Nov. 5 showed employers added over half a million jobs in October, beating market expectations and painting a more positive picture of labor market recovery compared to…


America’s Shrinking Workforce a Puzzle for Economists

Commentary The U.S. economy is suffering from a labor shortage, posing a difficult puzzle for economists and policymakers to solve. The pandemic has deeply disrupted the labor market, with lockdowns causing millions to leave the workforce last year. While many businesses have reopened their doors, bringing back former employees, or hiring new workers, has never…


No End in Sight for Labor Shortages as Companies Fight High Costs

NEW YORK—Labor shortages may be the most intractable of the cost risks that companies faced in the latest quarter, and as the earnings season moves into its peak there are signs the problem will persist, some strategists say. Finding and paying for workers is a challenge investors are paying close attention to as third-quarter results…


US Businesses Turn to Automation Amid Labor Shortage

After September marked the end of extra pandemic-induced unemployment benefits, workers didn’t flood the labor force as expected. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary released on Oct. 12,  by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 10.4 million job openings at the end of August, with 6.3 million hires. The lag…


NTD Business Full Broadcast (Oct. 21)

The Federal Reserve is banning top officials from trading individual stocks, saying it’s to guard against conflicts of interest—after an ethics uproar. Wisconsin is looking to solve its labor shortage, with the state Senate approving a bill to extend work hours for teenagers. Tesla posts record revenue and profits. In what category did it do…


Michigan State University Cuts Dining Hall Hours Amid Statewide Labor Shortage

Michigan State University said it has closed its dining halls to the public and reduced service hours of two cafeterias because of a severe staff shortage. “Like other schools and universities across the country, we are experiencing severe staffing shortages,” the university’s culinary services department said in a statement announcing the changes. “Many businesses in…


Millions of Britons Could Face ‘National Shortage’ of Turkeys This Christmas

Millions of Britons could face a “national shortage” of turkeys, toys, and trees this Christmas due to a lack of skilled European employees following Brexit, according to the chair of a farming association. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) last month said the UK is facing a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers, which along with Brexit, has…


NTD Business Full Broadcast (Sept. 22)

The federal reserve chair didn’t give a timeline at his speech on Wednesday for when to reduce its monetary stimulus, even though many say it’s fueling the price increases. The child care industry is experiencing a crisis. Workers are quitting and children need to get on wait lists for pre-school, with the treasury department calling…


Over Two-Thirds of Businesses Worldwide Report Hiring Difficulties

A new survey of nearly 45,000 employers in dozens of countries showed that 69 percent of businesses reported having a hard time finding workers, a 15-year high for the second consecutive quarter. The survey, carried out by employment services provider ManpowerGroup, found that over two-thirds of employers in 43 countries said finding skilled talent remains a…