I wonder if labor supplies would be as tight if they reverted to previous lengths for which you could draw unemployment benefits.
Some European countries use a system where, if you are drawing unemployment or welfare, you still need to show up for work at a gov’t building for work each day. You might be cleaning toilets, sweeping streets, but you will be working. It seems people realize that working in the private sector pays more and, as a result, welfare and unemployment rates are noticeably shorter there.
You do realize that nearly every state has 6 month limits on UB extended benefits are typically 13 more weeks and most states have a minimum U6 number to trigger access to those. Texas cut off extended benefits last September and all federal money up last July didn’t make a dent in job takers. It’s a dead horse to keep beating the UB that ended so long ago now and Texas is still struggling to fill spots why.
What has happened is a fundamental.shift of the work life balance and also second and third jobs that people realized they could live without. A good portion of those service jobs that are still vacant were.filled by second or third job seekers that now say why was I killing myself with three jobs when I can work one for more money at Amazon or uber or door dash vs retail or fast food. Same for the titanic shift for CSR work from home every CSR I have spoken too in the last two years that was not in India was taking calls from home and had no plans to quit doing that and go back to retail or restaurant service let alone meat packing. Amazon is paying $20 he in dfw for warehouse workers and drivers who in their right mind would take a fast food job at half that even as a second job. I run three solar crews and start my guys at $20 my crew leader makes 25 I ha e zero problem getting guys. My stone masons make 25 as do my finishers and stone sealers again no problem getting help. This is a seller’s market for labor big biz got used too low balling labor and built a whole industry on it that era is over if you want people you have to pay the market rate which is near $20 or just above it. If your whole business model was based on cheap near slave wage rates then you didn’t have a business you had a exploitation sweatshop and deserve to go under. Demand is so high in dfw for stone work I doubled my bid price and still am booked solid till August now. I raised wages to bring and keep talent and am making more now than when I paid $15 and 20 for labor and crew leader. Supply and demand is a beautiful thing.