“Instead of workers competing with each other for jobs that are scarce, employers are competing with each other to attract workers”

“In June, employment in leisure and hospitality industry increased by 343,000, as pandemic-related restrictions continue to ease in some parts of the country,” ​with over half the job gains going to food service and drinking places, which added more than 194,000 employees, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation report​ released July 2.

Likewise, retail trade added 67,000 jobs in June, most of which went to clothing and clothing accessories stores (+28,000), general merchandise stores (+25,000), miscellaneous store retailers (+13,000) and automobile dealers (+8,000), according to the report.

It added, these gains were partially offset by approximately 13,000 losses in food and beverage stores and 7,000 in health and personal care stores.

At the same time, CPG industry employment remained unchanged from May with 2,085,000 jobs in June – woefully short of what is necessary to fill the 380,000 openings in non-durable manufacturing, which includes CPG, according to the Consumer Brands Association.

This labor shortage falls against a backdrop of ongoing elevated demand for CPG products consumed at-home, CBA adds, noting that demand for CPG products rose 7.4% in May compared to the same time last year, which was significantly higher than the prior year due to lockdowns in place at the time.

At the same time, the food and beverage industry is struggling to find sufficient employees, so too is the trucking industry, which further compounds the negative impact of the employment landscape.