I traveled across the East Coast for my honeymoon, and I saw firsthand that the labor shortage is worse than ever

blog hiring shortage — Some business owners. are griping about "laziness" as they struggle to fill positions.
Courtesy of Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee

Many industries are experiencing a tight labor market.
Some retail business owners seem to be blaming that on "lazy" workers.
Driving though six states on my honeymoon, I noticed plenty of indignant "help wanted" signs.
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It's a rough time to be a hiring manager.

In April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics saw the number of job openings hit a record 9.3 million. In many regions, blue collar industries like retail, restaurants, and warehousing need of more workers. Today's tight labor market represents a continuation of a pre-pandemic trend.

Back in 2019, a war for talent was raging on, but the coronavirus seems to have spurred specific trends like career epiphanies and rage quitting, the looming exodus of working women due to inadequate childcare access, and pay hikes from giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. The result is a rough labor market for businesses, especially smaller operators.

The tightening labor market is also something I noticed while I should have been relaxing. I recently took time off for my wedding and honeymoon. Leaving our home in Indiana, my husband and I drove to upstate New York and Virginia, logging jaunts through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. We found ourselves in all sorts of small businesses: antique malls, fast food joints, big boxes, steak houses, gas stations, grocers, drug stores, and mom-and-pop shops. Retail is one of those beats you can't ever really escape.

The "help wanted" signs were everywhere. The rants popped up sporadically, too. My husband snapped photos of two screeds accusing the American public of collectively "not wanting to work anymore" - one from a New York burger joint and the other from a Virginia diner.

short staffed sign — We saw this sign at a New York-based burger joint.
Courtesy of Kevin Greenlee

These signs resembled other notices seen in viral social media posts. All seem to blame individual business' hiring struggles on widespread "laziness." They've also given rise to a widely memed retort: "No one wants to work for you."

diner help wanted — We saw this sign in a Virginia diner.
Courtesy of Kevin Greenlee

Most of the other businesses were plastered with somewhat less passive-aggressive signs touting open positions, even ones promising signing bonuses. Either way, it's obvious that we're in a job market that gives workers in lower-paid sectors a rare advantage.

Still, the sloth-blasting signs bounced around my head as we visited Historic Jamestowne on the last day of our trip. Historic Jamestowne is a cultural heritage site in Virginia, marking England's first permanent colony in North America. The colony was the product of a joint-stock company's bid to exploit the area's resources, and the jumping off point of evils that came to define the United States, like chattel slavery and the genocide of Native Americans.

Those who learned about this topic in school may remember the narrative that the settlement nearly failed because the colonists were too idle to work. The reality is likely far more complicated. Historian Karen Ordahl Kupperman wrote that colonists were likely suffering from salt poisoning, malnutrition, and disease, along with the psychological trauma of watching their compatriots die.

American workers died during the pandemic. American workers lost loved ones during the pandemic. American workers continue to contend with a deeply flawed healthcare system, debt, an untenable lack of childcare, and a dearth of workplace protections.

Business owners frustrated with the status quo ought to ditch the rants and instead work to raise wages and improve working conditions. Proprietors can keep up with the other businesses and attract more interested candidates by offering workers a truly worthwhile opportunity.

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