The U.S. labor market has been on a roller coaster ride, from massive job losses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to unprecedented growth in last year.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the labor market lost 22 million jobs in spring 2020. In the past 12 months, however, the economy added 6.6 million jobs and is on track to return to pre-pandemic labor market conditions before the end of 2022. Unfortunately, there are not enough people looking for work to fill available positions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 5 million people, who left the workforce at the start of the pandemic, have not returned and are not looking for work. READ MORE