The U. S job market showed steady growth again in August, but hiring
slowed from a torrid pace. Employers added 315,000 new jobs last
month. It was the 20th straight months of job growth, and there are
now 5.8 million more jobs than there were a year ago. The unemployment
rate ticked up to 3.7% as more people try to get back into the workforce.
But even so many employers say they still need more workers. Economics
reporter Paul Sahlman has our report.
For concrete pros in northern Ohio. The work for their small crew
never stop spraying or shine.
Getting business. No problem, says Laurie Joyce. They're backed up
for months. The work is there. We just need the workers. How many
employees could you have at this point? If there were people willing
to do the jobs, we could get five or six more employees more than
double the number of people you have now.
Correct. The job crunches acute almost everywhere. A restaurant industry
survey found fully two thirds of its members short on workers. Everybody
wants to dine in them, but nobody wants to work in them.
Samba Farrah had to cut services to over three and Arbor, Michigan
establishments. I was told today that my hosts are making about $38
an hour on average, and you're having trouble filling those jobs.
Absolutely. Isn't that something?
Now, today's solid job reports suggest more people are looking for
work and the unemployment rate ticked up, in part as a result, because
they haven't yet found any economist and Elizabeth Konkle of the
job posting site indeed dot com Today's report shows that the labor
market remains strong. We saw strong payroll gains, and while they
weren't as strong as July as blockbuster numbers, it's clear that
employer demand for workers is still going strong.
But employers are still struggling to fill those jobs more than 11
million job openings during the height of summer. So the big question
why can't employers find enough workers? Among the reasons you've
presumably heard before? I don't see a work ethic out there like
there used to be that rejoice in Ohio In Michigan restaurant owner
Farah agrees. I think Hustle is very frowned upon with this younger
generation.
And that might be amplified by the wave of recent and ongoing government
benefits, says Farah. Even the recent student loan reprieve, I think
it absolutely takes the pressure off of a lot of college students
and people who would otherwise be looking for a weekend job. Of course,
there's also still covid fewer immigrants and low pay in high stress
jobs.
Like the No benefits $14 an hour, Jalen Graham gets clean planes
for American Airlines in Charlotte, North Carolina, having half the
time he used to pre covid because of understaffing, you know, 14
15 bucks an hour and you know you're not really willing to deal with
something like this, So we've heard a bunch of reasons.
Uh, covid lack of work ethic of fewer immigrants who will take the
jobs, low pay. Um, government benefits Is that the full list?
In addition to that there is a reality of some workers retiring earlier
in the pandemic. We saw workers 55 to 64 stepping out of the Labor
Force again Economist and Elizabeth Konkle. There also is the additional
reason of care challenges.
Um, workers stepping out of the labor force so that they could deal
with childcare challenges or elder care challenges exacerbated by
Covid, which is stressed the entire workforce like his fellow cabin
cleaners, says Jalen Graham.
Getting new hires and then
They'll come in from a week or two kind of see how things go realize
how stressful it is, and they're already looking for another job
as they drop out.
That puts more stress on you to clean up with fewer people, sir,
So it's like a vicious circle. It's about as vicious as hurricane.
Really.
Vicious as a hurricane on the tarmac.
At the table. The restaurant industry has historically been a challenging
place to work, and it's become 10 X more challenging and our Bruce
Sava Farrah When you don't have the right resource is everybody gets
burned. Everybody gets hurt. People leave crying. People quit on
shift. It's It's really kind of traumatic, to be honest with you,
Paul. So as I'm listening to you, I'm thinking this is like a labor
supply chain crisis.
And this was the AHA moment for me. After a demand freeze Ships dry,
docked planes grounded restaurants shut
A demand surge. Whole industries overwhelmed
and their workers for the various reasons mentioned.
Out of the workforce.
Making the jobs more stressful and thus less attractive than ever