Employers have complained of labor shortages throughout the pandemic, and analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Family Pulse Survey, which collects data from Americans through surveys on education, employment, health and housing, suggests a possible reason for the lack of workers. The report found that about 16 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 have long-term Covid. Of these people, who are considered of working age, an estimated 2 to 4 million are unemployed because of their symptoms. Brookings estimates that there are currently 10.6 million job vacancies. The report estimates the dollar amount of lost wages to be between $170 billion and $230 billion annually. Long Covid, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as Covid-related symptoms lasting three or more months after first contracting the virus, has proven to be a complicated beast. It is difficult to identify and study as symptoms can vary from person to person. Symptoms can range from gastrointestinal problems to nerve pain and fatigue. The CDC in June estimated that nearly one in five American adults who had Covid-19 still have lingering Covid symptoms. Overall, one in 13 adults in the US – about 7.5% of the population – has prolonged Covid. Other countries have reported similar problems with long Covid affecting employment. In a speech in May, a Bank of England spokesman attributed the 440,000 contraction in the workforce largely to “an increase in long-term sickness”. Estimates say the US labor force has been reduced by between 3 and 3.5 million people during the pandemic. The report noted that addressing the long-term impact of Covid on the workforce will involve policy measures such as extended paid sick leave and better service to employers. Over 25% of private sector workers do not have any form of paid sick leave. Of those in the bottom 25% of incomes, more than half do not have access to paid sick leave. Some workers reported being fired for taking sick leave.
