Long Covid is responsible for about a third of unfilled jobs in the U.S., new research suggests

[Nevilledog]

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https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/26/brookings-long-covid-keeps-millions-of-americans-out-of-workforce.html

America’s ongoing labor shortage begs an important question: Where have all the workers gone?

There are 10.7 million unfilled jobs in the U.S., according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some economists point to the high numbers of workers quitting amid the Great Resignation. New research highlights another troubling factor that may bear part of the blame: long Covid.

A Brookings Institution report published Wednesday says an estimated 16 million Americans between ages 18 to 65 are experiencing Covid symptoms long after infection. The condition, dubbed long Covid, can include brain fog, fatigue, breathing problems, muscle pain, headache, chest pain and even anxiety or depression — all symptoms that can make it challenging for people to work.

The report estimates that 2 million to 4 million of those people are currently out of work due to long Covid. That’s almost as high as the number of Americans who quit their jobs each month amid the Great Resignation: About 4.2 million quit their jobs in June and nearly 4.3 million quit in May and April, respectively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In other words, the jobs lost to long Covid could make up about a third of the country’s current labor shortage. And the Brookings report says it’s costing the U.S. economy in a significant way.

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