At the start of September, the number of open jobs exceeded the number of active jobseekers for the 17th consecutive month—a record for the United States economy. In July, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report that put numbers to the phenomenon: there were 7.2 million job openings, but only 6 million people looking for work.1
This labor shortage is particularly prevalent for blue-collar and skilled labor positions. Employers are turning to unskilled workers, independent contractors and temporary workers for a short-term solution across industries.