Is it a sluggish labor market — or workers positioning themselves for better opportunities?

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Labor market experts say more people are becoming choosier about the kind of job they take. “A large chunk of job seekers seem to be taking more of a patient, or a wait-and-see, approach,” said one economist.

It’s an evolution that everyone saw coming — and yet it still caught corporate America off guard.

There is a shakeout occurring as many displaced workers find themselves either considering or actively seeking different types of work. Many businesses — especially in these sectors — are raising pay to attract and keep workers, said Patricia Malone, associate vice president at Stony Brook University's School of Professional Development. “The world has come alive again, but there are different parts of the economy that are struggling to maintain enough employees."

It is taking longer to fill open positions, said Marc Jones, CEO of Homeland Stores, a chain of 80 grocery stores. “Our employees showed up every day, but I think between the advent of online opportunities along with the working-from-home option that’s become more prevalent, I think potential employees have more options than just showing up at a retail store,” he said. “We’re a physical place to work. … It’s hard work — it’s lifting stuff and carrying stuff and standing on your feet.”

“People are thinking, now that we've been through a pandemic and a lot of instability, they're thinking about careers that are going to create stability. They’re trying to figure out where to head next and everyone’s still looking to see what’s going to happen,” Drago said. “There's been a lot of talk about ‘people don’t want to work,’ and that’s not the case. People are trying to figure out what’s stable.

“I think we may be underrating how difficult it is to reboot the labor market after the enormous shock of the pandemic,” said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor.com. “Food service workers who found jobs in e-commerce or warehousing may choose not to come back, whether because of higher pay, better working conditions or other factors,” he said. “That's a new normal that many industries will have to adjust to post-pandemic.

There are some indications that policy could play a role in shaping this new job growth. President Joe Biden has called for an ambitious push into green energy generation, electric vehicle production, constructing and retrofitting buildings with an eye toward sustainability and energy-efficiency. As a member of Generation X, McCarthy worried that her age could put her at a disadvantage. “With the market so saturated and having so many people unemployed, you have to set yourself apart,” she said.

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“Wait snd see” aka burning tax payers $ until they can’t any longer

No shit?

Especially when they’re being paid by the government at business and taxpayer expense to absent themselves from the Labor market itself.

they have decided to 'wait and see' if employers decide to pay more than next to nothing for massive amounts of labor and work.

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