Deep Dive: New Yorkers remain hesitant on heading back to work due to COVID worries

After seeing the unemployment numbers, what can New Yorkers, who are thinking about getting back to work, do with them?

News 12 Staff

Dec 10, 2021, 1:25 PM

Updated 1,029 days ago

Share:

After seeing the unemployment numbers, what can New Yorkers, who are thinking about getting back to work, do with them?
Is it a labor shortage or a job shortage? Are people not hiring? Or are the jobs out there people aren't totally comfortable taking on right now? New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon says it's a little of both. Still, she warns that if you're out of work to not wait.
"Don't wait too long. First of all, you're going to be in a financial position that won't be advantageous for you, but there are great jobs out there right now," says Reardon.
But what does "great" mean? The commissioner says she sees plenty of potential workers who aren't comfortable being around other people because of COVID or are having trouble getting reliable care for children and senior citizens and even some who realized they wanted more in terms of paycheck or just a career. She says these are concerns that she's telling companies to take seriously.
With the pandemic still very much a thing. Some people are hesitant, especially when those areas that were hit hard are doing the most hiring, like entertainment, leisure and hospitality seem less than the most COVID-safe.
Both the state and Bronxworks have services to get people more prepared, such as databases and people assigned to matching employees with employers who want and expect the same things as well as services to let people explore different options and career paths in each industry that they might not have even known existed.