ALEC in Center Square: Businesses fail to find workers, and experts say federal policies have made it worse
According to a new survey by NEXT Insurance, small business owners across the United States are frustrated and stressed about inflation and the state of the economy.
By Casey Harper | The Center Square
May 12, 2022
(The Center Square) – A new labor market survey found that a majority of employers, particularly restaurants, still cannot find enough workers. The new report from Alignable said that 83% of restaurants can’t find enough workers. Overall, the report found that “63% of all small business employers can’t find the help they need, after a year of an ongoing labor shortage.”
“Drilling into the most recent data on key sectors and demographic groups, the picture is even more disturbing,” the survey said. “Hiring issues have worsened again for key sectors, including restaurants, travel/lodging, event management, construction, and the automotive industry. Plus, minority business owners, as well as veterans, are experiencing elevated staffing problems.”
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Gretchen Baldau, an economic expert at the American Legislative Exchange Council, said that increased regulations have also made childcare too expensive for many families.
“The lack of affordable childcare options isn’t helping,” Baldau said. “Those options will get even worse under a recent Biden administration proposal to further regulate childcare providers. Increasing licensing requirements and regulations for childcare providers does not result in improved quality of care. Instead, prices go up, and the number of service providers goes down. Unfortunately, this means that these types of regulations can prevent parents from re-entering the workforce, including restaurants.”