Davisville, Nov. 1, 2021: It's not only the pandemic that's making labor scarce

Now hiring sign, Davis, CA, 102221.JPG

"Now hiring, all positions" sign in a Davis restaurant window

We're living in a labor shortage, and signs like this one in downtown Davis aren't hard to find. The pandemic is a huge part of the reason but other factors are also at work, such as childcare, more people working for themselves, the cushion provided by benefits and a high savings rate, and baby boomers retiring. And yet California has the highest unemployment rate of any state except Nevada.

Today's guest is Suzy Taherian, a lecturer in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Davis, and the chief financial officer of Xpansiv, an international company based in San Francisco. She describes conditions she and other CFOs are seeing as we talk about reasons for the labor shortage, including some you might not have heard yet; how employers are responding; how it might resolve; and how employees can take advantage of the opportunities it presents.

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