It is already apparent that as COVID-19 restrictions ease, a pent-up demand for many types of goods and services will be unleashed. As businesses reopen or expand to meet this boom, the demand for skilled workers will soar. It is not likely to fall for the rest of this decade. As cited in prior “Job Shock” segments, a major demographic shift, serious education deficits, and rising job-skill demands have combined with COVID-19 to undermine the quality and composition of the U.S. labor force. An April 2021 National Federation of Independent Businesses survey found that 44 percent of small businesses had job openings they could not fill, a record 22 percent higher than the 48-year average for this survey. Ninety-two percent of businesses seeking workers reported few or no qualified applicants. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were a record 8.1 million job openings at the end of March 2021. We estimate the true number to be over 11 million. Employers Face Mounting Skills Challenges COVID-19 has greatly increased the need for skills training. The shift to remote work has placed new skill demands on many employees. Because of the pandemic’s devastating effect on certain industries, about 20 percent of U.S. workers have left their former jobs for new types of work. A March Prudential Pulse of American Worker Survey found that about one-quarter of the workers surveyed plan to look for a different job with another employer once the current crisis eases. All these factors indicate that employee training must be greatly increased. READ FULL ARTICLE >>
