Shortage Of Workers

The Mystery Of The Millions Of “Missing Workers”

Something really strange is going on, and none of the “experts” can explain why it is happening.  Right now, there are more jobs available than ever before.  In fact, according to one recent measure there were nearly 11 million job openings in the United States during the month of July.  There are literally “help wanted” signs all over the place, and so if you want a job you can go get a job.  It may not be the job that you want, but the truth is that there are millions upon millions of jobs available.  We are in the midst of the greatest labor shortage in U.S. history, and companies are absolutely desperate to hire people.  Wages are being raised to unprecedented levels, signing bonuses are often being offered, and some companies have completely waived drug testing requirements.  Labor has become one of the hottest commodities in America, and you would think that in such an environment we would see huge numbers of people being hired.

But that isn’t happening.

Instead, the number of Americans that are employed only rose by 194,000 last month…

U.S. job growth fell to the slowest pace of the year in September, a sign the Delta variant and a persistent shortage of workers weighed on the economic recovery.

The economy created 194,000 jobs in September, the smallest gain since December 2020 and down from 366,000 jobs added in August, the Labor Department said Friday.

Needless to say, that is a terrible number.

When it was revealed on CNBC, the talking heads were stunned…

CNBC’s Squawk Box expressed astonishment on Friday with September’s jobs report, which came less than halfway to meeting projections.

The moment began with Steve Liesman, who looked down at the report and said, “194,” reflecting the 194,000 new jobs reported over the last month. “Whoa!” Becky Quick responded.

Before the pandemic, we needed to add between 150,000 and 200,000 new hires each month just to keep up with population growth.

So this is definitely a “treading water” number.

But we shouldn’t be “treading water” when nearly 11 million jobs are open.

At this point, employment in the U.S. is not even close to returning to pre-pandemic levels.  As you can see from the chart below, the total number of Americans that are employed is still about 5 million below the peak that we reached just before the pandemic hit.

If just the people that were employed before the pandemic decided to go back to work, we would have about five million more Americans working.

So what happened to them?

The civilian labor force is also way down from pre-pandemic levels.  In fact, right now it is currently at a level that is about 3 million lower than the pre-pandemic peak.

And according to the latest number that we just got from the government, the civilian labor force actually decreased by 183,000 last month…

Curiously, even as the unemployment rate dropped, the participation rate also declined from 61.7% to 61.6% as the civilian labor force somehow shrank in September by 183K to 161.354 million.

Because of population growth, over time the number of Americans that are employed and the civilian labor force should both steadily grow.

But instead, in both cases it is as if millions of people have completely disappeared from the system.

So where did all the people go?

Some conservative pundits are telling us that Joe Biden’s policies have given many unemployed workers a reason to stay home and not work, and I agree that Joe Biden’s economic approach has been completely and utterly disastrous.

But this isn’t just happening in the United States.

Right now, there is an epic shortage of labor all over the globe, and this is something that I have covered a number of times.  For much more on this, please see my previous article entitled “What Is Causing The Global People Shortage?”

So where did all of the “missing workers” go?

Millions upon millions of people all over the world that were working before the pandemic are now seemingly unavailable to work now.

If we simply had enough workers to do all of the jobs that needed to be done, a lot of our global supply chain problems would disappear very rapidly.

Before I end this article, there is one more thing that I would like to discuss.

According to the OECD, 136 nations have all approved a new global agreement on corporate taxation…

A group of 136 countries have agreed to a global treaty that would tax large multinationals at a minimum rate of 15% and require companies to pay taxes in the countries where they do business.

Estonia, Hungary and — most notably — Ireland joined the agreement Thursday. It is now supported by all nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the G20. The countries that signed on to the international treaty represent more than 90% of global GDP. Four countries that participated in the talks — Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — have not yet joined the agreement.

Even in the midst of all the craziness that is going on out there, globalism continues to march forward.

Now that the world has come together on this, what other types of “global tax agreements” could they come up with in the future?

Of course most Americans will never even hear about this new global agreement on taxation, and it will never become a major political issue in this country.  This is by design, because the globalists prefer to move their agenda forward without much public debate if possible.

Our world is being transformed at a pace that is breathtaking, and the road ahead is filled with peril.

Most people simply trust our leaders to do the “right thing”, but the truth is that the biggest criminals in our society can often be found walking the halls of power.

We have already witnessed so much chaos and death over the past couple of years, and much more is on the way in the months ahead.

***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written five other books that are available on Amazon.com including  “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

Why Is There Suddenly An Extremely Severe Shortage Of Workers All Over The World?

The unprecedented employment crisis that we are watching unfold around the globe is so bizarre that it could have been pulled straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone.  For the very first time in recorded history, there is an extremely severe shortage of workers in nations all over the planet.  When this shortage first started to emerge earlier this year, I thought that it was very strange, because 2020 had been a year when we had seen unemployment absolutely skyrocket in the U.S. and other western nations.  In fact, somewhere around 70 million Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last year.  Not too long ago we had vast hordes of people that were out of work, and now we are suddenly facing the greatest labor shortage in history?

Something is not adding up.

When I wrote my most recent article about the labor shortage, a few people wrote to me and blamed the Biden administration for what we are witnessing.

And it is certainly true that actions that the Biden administration has taken have made the labor shortage in the United States even worse.

But the Biden administration is not the reason why there is an extremely severe shortage of workers literally all over the planet.  In Vietnam, for example, there are so few workers that the government actually sent the army out to help with the rice harvest…

Across the world, a dearth of workers is shaking up food supply chains.

In Vietnam, the army is assisting with the rice harvest. In the U.K., farmers are dumping milk because there are no truckers to collect it. Brazil’s robusta coffee beans took 120 days to reap this year, rather than the usual 90. And American meatpackers are trying to lure new employees with Apple Watches while fast-food chains raise the prices of burgers and burritos.

Why aren’t there enough people to do these jobs?

We have never seen anything like this before.

Considering the horrendous unemployment crisis that gripped much of the globe during the earlier stages of this pandemic, you would think that there should be colossal pools of desperate workers for large companies to choose from at this point.

But instead, it is almost as if untold numbers of low paid workers have simply disappeared.

Of course certain types of workers are far more important to the basic functioning of the global economy than other types of workers.

For example, the world would be just fine if there was a severe shortage of actors and actresses.

But if there aren’t enough people to grow, process and transport our food, that is a massive problem, and that is precisely what we are currently facing…

Whether it’s fruit pickers, slaughterhouse workers, truckers, warehouse operators, chefs or waiters, the global food ecosystem is buckling due to a shortage of staff. Supplies are getting hit and some employers are forced to raise wages at a double-digit pace. That’s threatening to push food prices – already heated by soaring commodities and freight costs – even higher. Prices in August were up 33% from the same month last year, according to an index compiled by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

Unfortunately, the shortages and price increases are eventually going to get a whole lot worse.

I cannot recall another time since the dawn of history when the entire world has ever faced something like this.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

All over the globe, we are being told that shortages of food are being caused because there simply is not enough people to do the work…

Shortages are hitting farms, processors and restaurants alike. Malaysia, the world’s No.2 palm oil producer, has lost about 30% of potential output of the edible oil used in everything from chocolate to margarine. Shrimp production in southern Vietnam – one of the world’s top exporters – has dropped by 60% to 70% from before the pandemic. And a fifth of tomato production in the south of Italy has been lost this year, due to the scorching heat and transport paralysis, according to the farmers’ association CIA.

Before the pandemic, there was never a time when we didn’t have enough workers to do the basic tasks that needed to get done.

In fact, many nations around the globe were persistently facing huge problems with rampant unemployment.

But now the pandemic has come along and suddenly all of our unemployment problems have been solved?

I don’t understand why this isn’t raising a red flag for more people.

Here in the United States, if you want a job you certainly have many to choose from these days.

In response to the article that I posted a few days ago, one of my readers sent me an email describing what conditions are like in one section of Illinois…

Where have all the people gone? When you drive down the highway in Fairview Heights and Swansea, Illinois, there are signs on both sides, now hiring. Fazoli’s, a fast food Italian restaurant has a sign stating that they pay up to $15 an hour. Domino’s is looking for employees, Sparkle Car Wash, a rental business, and several others within a two or three block area. Panera Bread Company has signs posted outside that they closed early now due to lack of employees. Food items on our grocery shelves are dwindling and they are never replaced. Some of the food is expired. I noticed when trying to purchase butter at Aldi’s, it had the same expiration date as it did months ago. They put out expired butter and left it out to sell in the cooler. Same thing at Schnuck’s, you have to be careful and check the expiration dates. A lot of their food has either expired or is about to expire very soon.

At a time when basic services are breaking down because of a lack of workers, the Biden administration has decided to make things even worse by imposing offensive new mandates on tens of millions of workers.

As these new mandates go into effect, we could soon see things we have never seen before in the history of our country.

For instance, it is being projected that close to half of the entire police force in the city of San Diego could soon be forced to quit their jobs…

A rather remarkable situation in San Diego that we could see play out in the rest of the nation.  The police union, The San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA), asked their members about the vaccination mandate.

65 percent of the respondents said they would consider quitting the force if the city were to impose a requirement.  However, an alarming 45 percent said they would rather be fired than comply with the mandate.

The SDPOA has 1,971 members.  According to the San Diego Union Tribune, half of those officers are not vaccinated.  If that half of the entire police department were to be fired for non-compliance with the vaccine mandate, the city of San Diego would be in a really sketchy place.

The path that the Biden administration has decided to take us down is absolutely nuts.

As scores of qualified workers leave their posts, the problems that we are facing right now could go to an entirely new level.

But the U.S. is only one piece of the overall puzzle.

Everywhere in the world there are alarming labor shortages, and we are being told that this is a crisis that isn’t going to be solved any time soon.

So once again, there is a very simple question that I must ask.

Where did all the people go?

This is story of monumental importance, and hardly anyone is talking about it.

***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written five other books that are available on Amazon.com including  “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

Where Did All The People Go?

Why are companies all over the world suddenly desperate for workers?  In my entire life I have never seen anything like this.  When the labor shortage started in the United States, a lot of people blamed overly generous government handouts, but that doesn’t explain why the exact same thing is happening in nation after nation all over the globe.  There aren’t enough factory workers, there aren’t enough truck drivers, there aren’t enough port workers, there aren’t enough employees to properly staff our stores, and the shortage of doctors and nurses is becoming a major crisis in some areas.  During normal times, we were always told that the global economy was not producing nearly enough jobs for everyone, but now for the very first time we are facing an enormous worldwide labor shortage.  It is almost as if millions upon millions of people suddenly disappeared from the system.

Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that a new survey has discovered that 69 percent of global companies are having a hard time finding enough people to hire…

A survey of nearly 45,000 employers across 43 countries showed 69 percent of employers reported difficulty filling roles, a 15-year high, according to employment-services provider ManpowerGroup Inc. At the same time, 15 countries — focused in Europe and North America — reported their highest hiring intentions since the survey began in 1962.

Just a few years ago, any company that was willing to pay decent wages would be absolutely flooded by job applications.

But now everyone can’t stop talking about the “shortage” of workers.

So where did all the people go?

Normally, global supply chains run as smooth as butter, but now they are in a complete and utter state of chaos.

And the biggest reason why they are in a complete and utter state of chaos is because there simply is not enough workers for them to operate as they usually would.

On a very basic level, we need people to make stuff, pack stuff, ship stuff, transport stuff, unload stuff and sell stuff.

Every step along the way, shortages of workers are causing major headaches, and now we are being told that this supply chain crisis “will last well into next year”…

A supply chain crunch that was meant to be temporary now looks like it will last well into next year as the surging delta variant upends factory production in Asia and disrupts shipping, posing more shocks to the world economy.

Manufacturers reeling from shortages of key components and higher raw material and energy costs are being forced into bidding wars to get space on vessels, pushing freight rates to records and prompting some exporters to raise prices or simply cancel shipments altogether.

But if we had enough people to do all the jobs that needed to be done, this crisis could be resolved very rapidly.

So where are they?

As inventories get tighter and tighter, that is invariably going to drive up prices.

Earlier this week, one of my readers emailed me about the shortages and price increases that she is seeing in her local area.  I asked her if I could share this with all of you, and she said that I could…

You can’t find frozen turkeys, frozen hens, frozen cornish hens…the supply chain HAS indeed been cut. There was 1…just one box of oatmeal on the shelves of our local food store that are normally stocked through the gills with food. Prices are higher…tomato sauce, in a can: what used to cost $0.99 cents last year now costs $1.50. Chicken drumsticks—we usually throw a bunch in a crockpot with some bbq sauce and put it over rice for our kids, they love it….chicken drumsticks, last year were $0.89/pound….now they are $ 1.39 per pound. We only buy meat that has been reduced….a rump roast, for instance, was marked down from $18 dollars to $7….that’s a huge price cut, so we look for deals like that. But they are hard to find!!! Everything is higher, packaged in smaller boxes and cups and there is not much of it. We all knew this was coming….it’s going to get worse, for lots of people who don’t know what’s happening. We have goats for goat milk and meat if we need, chickens for eggs and we’ve put back lots of produce we found on sale over the summer, in the freezer to booster our garden. It’s shocking how much just is not there…the shelves are empty, moved closer together, and bare spots are everywhere in grocery stores these days.

Unfortunately, what we have experienced so far is just the beginning.  Global food supplies are going to continue to get tighter, and that is going to continue to drive up food prices.

Another sector of the economy where the labor shortage is having a big impact is in the healthcare industry.

Lately, I have been coming across lots of stories about people dying because they can’t get the care that they need.  Just before I started writing this article, I came across a heartbreaking story about a 70-year-old woman in Canada that dropped dead after a six hour wait in a local emergency room…

Bonnie Marie Hall was with her 70-year-old mother — Susan Tasson — when she died early Wednesday in a Kamloops, B.C., hospital emergency waiting room after a six-hour wait for care.

Hall says her Ontario-born mother had an infectious laugh and a “warrior” spirit. She had three sons and two daughters, loved her grandchildren and had lived in Kamloops since 1987.

“Nobody wants to die in a waiting room. Nobody,” said Hall.

Nobody should ever have to die that way.

But it is going to keep happening, because there is an acute shortage of healthcare workers right now.

All over the nation, the shortage of nurses has become a really big deal, and new mandates are just making things even worse…

Hospitals are struggling to comply with the state’s nurse staffing requirements as pandemic-induced burnout has exacerbated an already chronic nursing shortage nationwide.

But burnout isn’t the only thing compounding California’s nursing shortage: The state’s new vaccine mandate for health care workers is already causing headaches for understaffed hospitals before it is even implemented. Some traveling nurses — who are in high demand nationwide — are turning down California assignments because they don’t want to get vaccinated.

There is a serious shortage of doctors as well, and this is a phenomenon that we are witnessing all over the globe.

For example, over in the UK it is being reported that there is a “shortfall of more than 50,000 doctors” right now…

The NHS may be unable to cope this winter because of a “frightening” shortfall of more than 50,000 doctors, the head of the British Medical Association has warned.

Here in the United States, our healthcare system has never been so close to a state of collapse.

In fact, one doctor recently wrote an article in which he claimed that it has “already collapsed”…

As a resident physician who has only trained in an era of COVID—I was asked to consider graduating from school early in April 2020 to help with medical staff shortages—my time as a doctor has been defined by working in a system that has already collapsed. The American health system I work in has featured limited personal protective equipment, oxygen shortages, and the construction of field hospitals in convention centers and parking garages. Last winter, many hospitals across the country instituted crisis standards of care, forced to ration health services based on criteria that few people envisioned would be used outside of a mass casualty event, like a terrorist attack. Today, hospitals are full in much of the country, with patients requiring an ICU being airlifted thousands of miles in search of a staffed bed. These are not features of a health system that is approaching failure. These are features of a health care system that has broken down spectacularly, forcing doctors and patients to climb through the rubble looking for help.

But just like every other industry, if we had enough people to do the jobs that needed to be done, we would be fine.

In all the years that I have been writing about the economy, finding enough workers has never been a problem.

Yet here we are in the middle of 2021, and all of a sudden there are millions and millions and millions of empty jobs all over the globe.

Once again, there is a question that I must ask.

Where did all the people go?

This is a question that everyone should be asking, because the people that are currently running things are not telling you the truth.

***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book I have written five other books that are available on Amazon.com including  “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.