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Nursing homes are in critical need of staff

Jan 11, 2022
Some nursing homes say they can't compete for workers, as fast-food places and other retailers have raised wages.
Ashley Rose (left) and Patsy Wilkerson (right) are occupational therapy assistant who work at Knollwood Manor in Lafayette, Tennessee. They joke that they’re also certified nursing assistant assistants because the nursing home is so short on CNAs they end up picking up many of their duties.
Blake Farmer/WPLN

Hospitals try to manage omicron surge along with staff shortages

Jan 10, 2022
Many U.S. hospitals report being critically short-staffed. Some are reducing beds and services or bringing back infected workers.
With more hospitals critically understaffed during the omicron surge, some have had to reduce bed capacity or defer elective procedures.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

What might Canada's vaccine border mandate mean for the economy?

Jan 10, 2022
Some in the trucking industry say the mandate may exacerbate its current worker shortage.
A new vaccine requirement for drivers to cross the U.S.-Canada border could compound labor shortages among long-haul truckers and worsen other supply chain issues.
George Frey via Getty Images

Employers struggle to hire and retain workers almost two years into the pandemic

Jan 6, 2022
"It's the most desperate situation that I can ever recall being in and I’ve been in some pretty desperate ones," said one restauranteur.
Worker turnover is high in low-wage sectors, like the food industry, as employees seek better opportunities.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images

Rural hospitals, short of staff, brace for omicron

Dec 28, 2021
Many health care workers have fled the pandemic's burdens in areas with low vaccination rates and fragile economies.
 A health care worker tends to a COVID-19 patient in Apple Valley, California. Rural hospitals are struggling to hire staff amid surging case numbers.
Ariana Drehsler/AFP via Getty Images

A boon for local butchers is a hurdle for hunters

Dec 27, 2021
Flush with demand, meat processors are walking away from wild game.
Northwest Premium Meats in Idaho. Manager Elliott Tolbert says he's seen strong demand for butchering services, but processing wild game isn't always worth the effort.
Madelyn Beck/Mountain West News Bureau

What worker productivity numbers can reveal

Dec 9, 2021
Productivity drops can confirm other trends like rising wages and shortages of materials.
Labor productivity is a measure of worker output and can be used by the IRS to forecast tax collections.
xavierarnau via Getty Images

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The labor shortage continues in child care

Dec 9, 2021
One result of the ongoing staff shortage is that parents may have trouble finding daycare slots for their kids.
Little pay and a lack of benefits are among the factors deterring people from entering the child care sector.
Alexandra Beier via Getty Images

He's growing his business during a labor shortage. "I'm optimistic."

Nov 3, 2021
R.G. Lamar of Stuckey's Corp. bought pecan-shelling and candymaking facilities in rural Georgia. There's demand, but not enough workers.
R.G. Lamar on his pecan farm in 2018.
Daisy Palacios/Marketplace

A new recruitment-focused twist on an old festival in Stratford-upon-Avon

Nov 1, 2021
The English town, struggling with a labor shortage like many other parts of the world, revived an old local tradition to help solve the problem.
The mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon opens the Mop Fair.
BBC