Job-Seeker Confidence Is the Biggest Casualty of the Delta Variant

The single biggest challenge for the U.S. jobs market is improving confidence among workers and tempting more Americans back to work. At the moment, the labor market is tipped heavily in the favor of job-seekers, with millions of open roles and not enough people to fill them. Hiring has surged as the economy continues to reopen, with especially growing opportunities in boom sectors like tech, logistics, and construction, and food services. But there remains a shortage of people to fill these vacancies, with long-term unemployment at an elevated level, currently 5.9%.