U.S. employers desperately looking for workers

PARIS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of workers in the United States has shrunk since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic while early retirements, lower immigration and an aging population would still worsen the labor shortage, the AFP reported on Sunday.

In June, more than 10 million job openings were unfilled whereas the number of job seekers was fewer than 6 million, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Among the people who stopped working in the spring of 2020 when the pandemic started to hit the U.S. economy, millions chose to retire early, fearing for their health and with sufficient assets thanks to a then-buoyant stock market and high real-estate prices, reported AFP, citing analysts.

In the short term, it is unlikely to regain the pre-pandemic workforce "because of the aging population," warned an analyst.

Besides, the restrictions imposed by Donald Trump's administration and the impact of the pandemic drastically reduced the number of foreigners entering the country.

Analysts quoted by the French media suggested measures be taken to ease the worker shortages, including slowing down the Americans' buying spree so that companies would need fewer people.