Economy reopens but where are workers?

Restaurants are hit hard by staff shortages right now. Nearly 2.5 million jobs in the industry were lost last year, according to the National Restaurant Association. Photo by Shutterstock.

LA County has moved to the least restrictive yellow tier in California’s reopening plan. But as businesses try to meet demand, some employers say they’re struggling to hire workers, despite millions of people still being unemployed due to the pandemic. 

One of the industries hit hard by staff shortages is restaurants. The National Restaurant Association estimates nearly 2.5 million jobs were lost last year, and more than 100,000 bars and restaurants closed permanently.