It’s not news to anyone that we are in the tightest labor market, most likely, of our lifetimes. We all see the signs on almost every restaurant and every retail location, and advertisements from larger companies seeking talent are taking as much TV airtime as political ads do some years.
There are lots of hypotheses and opinions about what is going on, many of which fill our blogs, podcasts, and newspapers. People retiring, people living off federal subsidies still left from last year, people deciding now is a good time to find a job they enjoy more, people still struggling with COVID uncertainty, people still figuring out all the issues that have always been there, but are now harder (childcare, transportation, etc.): these hypotheses are all right, at least to some degree. But gaining further insight into what to actually do – that is harder.
Deaconess will be sponsoring a series of discussions at the City Club of Cleveland in early 2022, all focused on understanding how experts, employers, and workers are thinking about this question. I am looking forward to these conversations of consequence.
I am also very excited about a body of research kicking off under the leadership of the Fund for our Economic Future (The Fund), TeamNEO, and ConxusNEO. This work – which will feature a review of research and analyses, combined with quantitative and qualitative insight gathering from employers and job seekers alike – will help us to better understand not only why workers are leaving roles (by occupation, by geography, by race, by age) but also, what changes will address the situation. I’m particularly eager to see how the group of researchers and partners involved expands as the research moves forward, enabling us to gain insight at a deeper level and enabling a more understood and nuanced set of recommendations.
The Fund will be leading communications on this initiative, and they indicate they will be sharing information as it comes in. You can stay abreast of all the learnings, and to learn more about the research, here. I know I’ll be!