COVID-19 and the Workforce: June 3, 2022

TOP HEADLINES

Will the Pandemic’s Missing Workers Ever Return to the Labor Force? 
SHRM – May 11, 2022 
Official unemployment is near a historic low while job openings have surged to record highs, yet a massive gap remains between the demand for talent and the supply of workers in the labor market. 

U.S. Jobless Claims Edged Lower Last Week Amid Tight Labor Market 
Bloomberg – June 2, 2022  
Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance declined last week, holding at historically low levels amid a tight labor market. 

America’s Employers Keep Hiring Despite High Costs and a Potential Recession 
CNN Business – June 2, 2022 
America’s employers are expected to have added hundreds of thousands of jobs in May, even in the face of high inflation, a potential recession and a new phase in the pandemic economy. 

What’s New from the CDC 
Keep up with all the latest information on COVID-19 directly from the resources created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

GLOBAL NEWS 

AUSTRALIA 
Mask Mandates Back on the Cards as COVID-19, Flu Surges Across Australia 
ABC News – May 17, 2022 
Doctors are pushing for indoor mask mandates to be introduced as COVID-19 numbers surge in several Australian states. 

CANADA 
One Million Job Vacancies: As Canada’s Post-COVID Economy Booms, Employers Need Workers 
Canada Immigration News – May 27, 2022 
Statistics Canada has reported job vacancies rose to a record high and there were more paid jobs in all but two of Canada’s 10 provinces in March than there were before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

INDIA 
90% of Women in India Are Shut Out of the Workforce 
Bloomberg – June 1, 2022  
As the world climbs out of the pandemic, economists warn of a troubling data point: Failing to restore jobs for women—who have been less likely than men to return to the workforce—could shave trillions of dollars off global economic growth. 

UNITED KINGDOM 
As UK COVID Cases Fall to Lowest Level for a Year, What Could the Future Look Like? 
The Guardian – May 31, 2022 
After enduring record-breaking levels of COVID in the past six months, Britain has seen cases fall to their lowest for a year. But as the country eases back into a life more normal, will the disease remain in the background – or is another resurgence on its way? 

UNITED STATES 
U.S. Economy on Brink of Recovering Pre-COVID-19 Job Numbers, But More Than Half of Industries Lag 
USA Today – May 19, 2022 
The U.S. is on pace to recover all 22 million jobs wiped out in the COVID-19 recession as early as July, but the milestone will obscure sharp differences among industries and an economy transformed by the crisis. 

POLAND 
COVID is Not Gone, Polish Health Minister Warns 
The First News – May 16, 2022 
Despite Poland switching to a lower level of epidemic emergency, society should remember that the coronavirus has not gone away and could return in the autumn, the health minister has said.