Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines

Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines

Share this post

Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines
Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines
Broad-framing America's current labor shortage

Broad-framing America's current labor shortage

And how the obvious fix is more immigrants (ultimately fueled by climate change)

Thomas PM Barnett's avatar
Thomas PM Barnett
Apr 12, 2024
∙ Paid
5

Share this post

Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines
Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines
Broad-framing America's current labor shortage
1
Share
Jim Nuttle illustration from “America’s New Map”

There are 9.5 million job openings in the United States right now, but only 6.5m unemployed — a gap of three million workers. Our labor participation rate (actively working or seeking work) is presently 63%, so you could reply, Then put those lazy bones to work!

Problem is, our working age population (15-65) is 65% of our total population, meaning we are not missing out on some vast lazy pool.

Source

Share

Did the pandemic depress that labor rate? Definitely. It was 67% prior, so the Big Quit was real. But the fact remains that, across all industries, hiring rates have continuously outpaced quit rates, indicating a widespread labor shortage. So, even if all the unemployed people in the U.S. found a job right now, there would still be three million empty positions — much of them in agriculture.

Share Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines

This labor shortage is hamstringing US industries right now, costing us all economic opportunity.

The labor gap contributes to income inequality in the United States, A recent Time article estimated that such rising income inequality has reduced U.S. GDP growth by as much as 9 percentage points over the past two decades, or $2 trillion in lost GDP per year. Erasing the labor gap could help reverse that negative trend by boosting incomes, consumer spending, and overall economic vitality.

Where are these labor gaps the biggest?

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Thomas P.M. Barnett’s Global Throughlines to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Dr. Thomas P.M. Barnett
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share