Job openings unexpectedly crept higher in December as the hiring recovery sharply slowed and the Omicron variant fueled a new wave of COVID-19 infections nationwide.
With openings still elevated and employers struggling to hire, the labor market is likely to remain unusually tight well into the new year. The health care and social assistance sector saw the biggest drop in quits of 89,000, according to the report. Quits at accommodation and food services firms fell by 64,000, and the construction sector followed with a drop of 44,000 quits in December.
The December JOLTS report doesn't even cover the period with the most Omicron infections. Daily case counts peaked in early January as holiday travel boosted the virus's spread. Infections have since trended lower, but it will be another month until data reveals exactly how Omicron affected job openings and quits.
Sounds like someone's gonna need to let more outsiders (also known to some as foreigners) in to fill some of these jobs so companies and the economy can grow!🤔