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There is an unprecedented convergence of labor dynamics that are driving our hiring and recruiting challenges. Strong economic growth is driving labor demand in all sectors of the economy. Labor participation rates are the lowest since 1976 and have not improved over the past 12 months. And we are at 4.8% unemployment for September.

We may be living and working in a new world with unique challenges, but the world of video interviewing is not new. Many in the younger generations have already adopted casual use of video conversations via FaceTime, Facebook and Instagram before it was a necessity, the challenge is to help other demographics utilize the medium effectively for recruiting and hiring.

Companies in the hospitality, food service, manufacturing and tech sectors are facing hiring challenges that threaten their return to pre-pandemic business levels. In some cases, these challenges are so extreme that they will cause smaller businesses to close and require others to raise prices.

I addressed the root causes for these challenges in a previous post, What’s Causing Today’s Acute Labor Supply Challenges. In this post, I’ll share insights on what companies are doing to jump-start their recruiting efforts for hard-to-fill positions.

We are amid an acute labor shortage. Hiring managers, under pressure to fill positions for skilled and low-skilled workers, are getting increasingly worried. I hear it every day in conversations with Human Resource and Talent Acquisition leaders across industry sectors. Today's labor supply gaps are among the worst I've seen in my 35 years as a recruiting professional.