Over 50% of Americans say jobs are easy to find, but unemployment persists

Sam Ro
·1 min read

Data: The Conference Board; Chart: Axios Visuals

Just because many Americans are out of work doesn’t mean they can't find a job.

Why it matters: Labor shortages continue to hold back economic growth as virus fears, child care issues and extra unemployment insurance benefits keep workers on the sidelines.

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Reality check: Lots of Americans aren’t complaining.

  • A record 54.4% of consumers say jobs are "plentiful," according to a new Conference Board report.

  • Meanwhile, just 10.9% say jobs are "hard to get."

  • The difference between those two numbers, aka the labor market differential, is at a record 43.5%.

The big picture: "Significantly this indicates that people know the jobs market is strong thereby confirming that it is the lack of workers willing or able to fill demand, which is holding back jobs growth," ING economist James Knightley wrote.

Go deeper: Why almost no one is looking hard for a job

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