Stories From the Great American Labor Shortage

<p><i>This episode contains strong language. </i></p><p>Bartenders, sous chefs, wait staff — at the moment, managers in the U.S. hospitality industry are struggling to fill a range of roles at their establishments.</p><p>Managers blame pandemic unemployment benefits for the dearth of talent. Employees say that the pandemic has opened their eyes to the realities of work.</p><p>We spoke to workers and managers about why it has become so hard to get some staff back to work.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Why is it so hard to hire right now? Experts weigh in on<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/22/business/dealbook/labor-shortage-causes.html?searchResultPosition=30?smid=pc-thedaily"> what’s going on in the labor market</a> — and what companies can do to attract workers.</li><li>The sharp rebound in hiring, especially in service industries, is widening opportunities and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/business/economy/workers-wages-mobility.html?smid=pc-thedaily"> prompting employers to compete on pay</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>