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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are COVID-19 deaths a major cause of staff shortages in the United States?

By Dana Ford
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NO

Although economists debate the relative importance of different factors contributing to staff shortages -- and even whether there is a widespread shortage -- it's generally agreed that the deaths caused by COVID-19 are not playing a major role.

"The 600,000 deaths due to the pandemic are tragic but are not a major part of the macroeconomic story of the labor market," says Jason Furman of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

As July 2021 began, the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. was over 595,000, according to the CDC. Of that number, more than 470,000 deaths, or nearly 80%, were among people ages 65 and up, meaning the majority of deaths happened to those who were no longer working.

Economists have raised a number of possibilities, including the lack of child care options, fears about returning to an unsafe workspace, expanded unemployment benefits and low wages.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers For Disease Control Provisional Death Counts for COVID-19
Philadelphia Inquirer Without enough child care, workers can’t get back to work
CNBC Some employees say no amount of precautions will make the workplace feel safe, survey says
CNN Are unemployment benefits causing working shortages? Here's what we know.
Los Angeles Times There’s no labor shortage — just not enough good jobs
Peterson Institute for International Economics Peterson Institute for International Economics
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.