Politics

Biden Labor Secretary: ‘Don’t think there’s an answer’ to worker shortage

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United States Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is perplexed by the worker shortage following the release of an anemic September employment report. Only 194,000 jobs were added in September, far short of an expected 500,000 gain, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday.

The report also showed the extent of America’s labor shortage, particularly among women struggling with school and childcare issues who are hesitant to return to work. When asked about the record number of job openings on Axios on HBO, which aired Sunday, Walsh said: “I don’t think there is an answer … I think we dig down a little bit more here.”

“I think that one of the biggest reasons, and again no one’s tested this or checked it, is work-life balance,” he said. “We’re living in a pandemic, obviously the 194,000 this month is not the best number but we saw 317,000 in the private sector. So we’re seeing good growth in the private sector.”

Experts have struggled to explain why so many Americans have dropped out of the labor force despite a surge in job creation. Some have suggested that the latest wave of the Delta variant and increase in COVID-19-related deaths heightened fears about becoming infected with the virus in customer-facing jobs.

“People are concerned about the Delta variant, people concerned about their personal health. We have folks that are vaccinated, folks that aren’t vaccinated, people who are vaccinated worried about the people that aren’t vaccinated,” Walsh said.

President Joe Biden on Friday defended his economic policies and described the September jobs report as ‘consistent, steady progress’. “The monthly total has bounced around, but if you look at the trend, it’s solid,” he said. “We’re actually making real progress. Maybe it doesn’t seem fast enough. I’d like to see it faster, and we’re going to make it faster.”

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: MARKET WATCH

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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