The height of the pandemic also brought about The Great Resignation, where people’s ability (and willingness) to work was brought into question. Many decided to quit their jobs because they did not feel safe working in environments with a large number of people. This led to many people being afraid of the unknown, and what they would do without a job. Some jobs started to transition from in-person to online, which many people preferred as it made them feel safer at home. On top of that, stay-at-home workers also had more time to complete tasks, increase productivity, and look out for their family members.
What followed this was the realization that working from home was a lot better than working in person, and when there was an opportunity to choose, remote work was a no-brainer. Now, more jobs have increased the opportunities where you can choose to work in person or at home. Since many people quit their jobs because of COVID, more jobs have opened up and are hiring even more people to work, including teens who are sixteen and above. For some teens, their first step into employment was also their first step into possibly becoming front-line workers in a state of global crisis.
So how has this affected the employment rate? Listen as MMJ Fadi Ghanim speaks to Urban Alliance staff Taylor Mai and Yezenia Sandoval (Program Coordinators), and Executive Director Abiodun Durojaye about hiring conditions, willingness to work, and how this has affected teens and adults. More importantly, they aid in providing perspective on the question: “Has it always been this hard to find a job?”
Five journalists responded to the theme: “Back to the Normalâ€. Click here to see all the stories covered in our Normalcy Issue. For more podcasts, check out our Podcasts archive.