A job market with a labor shortage has more jobs than people to fill them. In other words, an industry or economy may be considered short on labor if there are more job openings than there are unemployed people. While labor shortages present challenges for employers, they also tend to correspond with periods of low unemployment.
Job openings outnumbered unemployed people in the US from May 2021 to December 2023, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Indeed, NAUMD network members report that finding people to fill jobs in all departments and job functions remains an ongoing challenge. Those with the ability are offering training; teaching new hires to sew, for example. Other members continually request leads for sales team members.
“The global supply chain and logistics have settled down now since the pandemic,” said Rick Levine, NAUMD executive director. “But the ability to recruit and retain remains a big problem for uniform companies.”
