The coronavirus pandemic forced people in the United States to stay home in March, 2020. Unfortunately, this has caused a job shortage in America. There has been a gradual decrease of people working in the work force since the quarantine ended.
Post-Pandemic
The World Health Organization declared everything related to Covid-19 on May 5, 2023. Job openings have outnumbered the number of people without jobs from May 2021. There were 9 million job openings in America. Citizens of all ages were not actively looking for work. Some have even quit their jobs that they had gone to college for. People have gone into student debt just to quit a job they have worked so hard for.
Underappreciated
Front line workers were some of the only people who had faced the Covid-19 virus head on. Teachers had to still teach their classes whether it be in person or online. Health care workers had to come in and work just like any typical day. Workers during the pandemic felt underappreciated. My mother and father are both nurses. They had worked long hours due to the pandemic. Both had distanced themselves from myself and my brothers due to them being high risk. My parents had felt underappreciated at the time. There were no “benefits” for working in these conditions. It rather felt like they were being punished for no reason. No extra paycheck or a thank you was given from patients and their family members. Healthcare workers just had to do their job as normal.
Accepting the work life and culture
Workers have to do their jobs. Many people regardless of their career should have some idea of what their job may entail. Teachers know they have to teach for 180 days of a school year. Health care workers have to help make people feel better. First responders have to help people in need no matter the reason. The Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t the only pandemic Americans have lived through. Workers in the past have worked during other pandemics. In 2009, the Swine Flu had spread worldwide. 200,000+ people had been hospitalized due to the virus. Healthcare workers had to work during this pandemic. Covid-19 wasn’t the first virus to force people to work in harsh conditions.
Giving more appreciation
Workers should understand what job they are getting into. They should not have to endure harsh work conditions however. Instead people should at the very least feel safe in the workplace they are working in. Workers did not sign up to be harassed at their job when looking into their career. They also did not sign up to be yelled at or working in a time of emergency. People are not trained to handle the unexpected. Other pandemics have occurred in the past. Workers have had to work during them. This didn’t mean that the workers felt scared at the time or stressed. This also didn’t mean it was alright to make the workers work long hours. Workers are human at the end of the day. Humans need at least 8 hours of sleep to function properly. Working during a pandemic should allow overseers to give workers proper schedules and work environments so they also feel some level of comfort during a crisis.
Raising the appreciation given
Some careers are praised more than others in today’s culture. For example, teachers aren’t as highly valued as a lawyer. Malia Calitis said that “I think after covid, teachers have gotten more appreciation…I do think they deserve more appreciation for the amount of work they put in.” Though there is appreciation given, the benefits aren’t there. People do not want to risk their lives or their time for little compensation. Better opportunities could await them at a different career.
Getting people back into the workforce
To get people back in the workforce, the government should raise the minimum wage. The current minimum wage for nonexempt employees is $7.25. With inflation on the rise, the government should raise the minimum wage to around $10. The other option would be to lower prices and to lower the inflation rate. This would allow for students to study more “lower paying jobs” such as teaching. The government should also give more benefits to jobs such as teachers. When an unexpected event happens such as a pandemic, many people may not want to work. Providing benefits such as a bonus or more sick days may get people in the workforce.
Moving forward
The government should change how the workforce is compensated. Workers should protest for a raise and more benefits. Protesting would show to the government that a large group of people want change within the work culture. Tess Powell said, “People have the right to protest … why would a person have to stay at a job they don’t get enough compensation for?” Americans should fight for a better lifestyle. Having many gather could ultimately change the future of American work culture.
