I was reading about this today, and it really got me thinking. This several-months-long worker shortage is really unprecedented, AND unexplained. No one can adequately explain it.
Unemployment benefits/super dole/Pandemic bucks: NOPE. Unemployment is back to normal, there hasn't been any stimulus/"credits" or any other kind of government cheese handed out for many months. For purposes of "extra cash", "extra gibs" or similar, the so-called Pandemic is 100% over.
During the heydey of the "pandemic" back in 2020, people got the max $600/week unemployment, even if they just part-time walked dogs (self-employed) for a living! It was a real sweet gig for some. (I was working at the time, so I learned about this third-hand). A lot of people went NEET (Neither Employed, in Education, or Training).
But that super unemployment that many people took advantage of is LONG gone. And the Biden Bucks (including "Part 2" of the stimulus, where the other half of the child tax "credit" was sent along with the 2022 tax return/refund) are even long gone.
So how are people SURVIVING without any job or source of income? Not everyone has a paid-off house. In fact, very few do! How many people are debt-free? And virtually no one is exempt from utility charges every month (water, electricity, phone, Internet). And even when it comes to government largesse (economic stimulus, child tax credits, etc.), the real bucks only come in when you have more than a couple of children. The type of person to work a fast food job is young and unmarried, usually with 1 child or less. So they were *never* at any point showered with government cheese, not even in the heyday of the pandemic.
How are people making it? Because EVERYWHERE, and I mean literally everywhere in the retail/restaurant industry, is begging for employees. And apparently no one is interested.
Also consider that MOST people, especially the type to work low-end jobs, don't save much for a rainy day. If they have a pile of cash, they BLOW IT like it's burning a hole in their pocket. If they don't covet a new TV, phone, or car, they'll go on vacation with it. Either way, it's gone by the next month -- much less 6 or 12 months later.