After the fall of the spring 2020, the economy and the job market have been recovering. This year's introduction of vaccines has encouraged businesses to reopen and expand their hours, and cooped up consumers have returned to bars, restaurants and shops.The health crisis isn’t over. As the highly contagious delta variant spreads among unvaccinated people, COVID-19 cases continue to rise. In the United States, there are now more than 50,000 cases per day. This is up from 12,000 in June. If governments restrict business activity or consumers opt to stay home to protect themselves, the increase in cases could have negative economic consequences.Currently, however, many businesses are unable to find workers because of the strength of the economy. Employers advertised vacancies for record 9.2 Million jobs in May.22 states responded to concerns about a shortage of labor and decided to discontinue a federal $300-a week federal employment benefit to help offset the economic impact from the pandemic. Two other federal programs have been cancelled by twenty states. One provides benefits for the self-employed, gig workers, and another is available to those who have been unemployed for six months or more. The nationwide expansion of the programs is set to expire Sept. 6.
